Hey everyone! Welcome back to our Meta Decks Report for Legends of Runeterra.

As always, these deck recommendations will be provided by our experts, Kuvira, Shugo, and Scarzig!

Note that our experts update the tier list often so there may be some lag time between this blog version and the one on our site.

When in doubt, use the LoR Meta Tier List feature for the most up-to-date tier list.

Best Runeterra Decks

• S-tier: Ezreal Seraphine (Noxus + Piltover/Zaun)
• A-tier: Pantheon Vayne (Demacia + Targon)
• S-tier: Vayne Zed (Demacia + Ionia)
• S-tier: Pantheon Varus (Runeterran + Targon)
• A-tier: Swain TF (Bilgewater + Noxus)
• A-tier: Seraphine Viktor (Piltover/Zaun + Shadow Isles)
• A-tier: Rumble Vayne (Demacia + Noxus)
• A-tier: Gwen Katarina (Noxus + Shadow Isles)
• A-ter: Jax Vayne (Runeterran + Demacia)
• A-tier: Annie Jhin (Runeterran + Noxus)
• A-tier: Pirates (Bilgewater + Noxus)
• A-tier: Akshan Lee Sin (Ionia + Shurima)
• B-tier: Plunder (Bilgewater + Freljord)
• B-tier: Gwen Vayne (Demacia + Shadow Isles)
• B-tier: Lurk (Bilgewater + Shurima)
• B-tier: Katarina Yasuo (Ionia + Noxus)

LoR Meta Decks

Whether you like to play aggro, midrange, control, or combo, we’ve got meta deck archetype for you. Enjoy!

S-tier LoR Decks

Ezreal Seraphine (Noxus + Piltover/Zaun)

Deck code: CECACAQDBEAQMAYXAIDAIDQVAEAQIJAEAIAQGKZOAEDAGDQCAECB6NAEAYCBMIBFFADAEBQECIVQCAIEAEAQIBAHAEBQICYBAMBQ2AIEAMFA

[See Ezreal Seraphine deck details]

General info

Ezreal Seraphine takes the classic Noxus PnZ shell and spices it up with some extra splashy goodness. Instead of building up Tribeams, this deck aims to cast a large variety of spells in order to build up and support Seraphine’s doubling abilities. Once online, the combo of Ezreal + Seraphine can burst down the enemy nexus out of nowhere!

👌 Strong Against: Katarina Yasuo, Rumble Vayne, Akshan Lee Sin, Pantheon Varus, Lurk

👎 Weak Against: Pantheon Vayne

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Look for removal that matches up well against the opponent’s deck. Sentry + Flock is a great combo against Demacia decks. Back Alley Bar is a good keep against the mirror.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Depending on the matchup, consider playing Seraphine only after she’s leveled. This ensures at least some value before she is potentially removed.
• Maintaining a proper hand size is very relevant with Seraphine. It’s very easy to refill our hand by doubling up cheap draw spells, along with the fact that many cards replace themselves. Sputtering Songspinner is hard to cast when our hand is completely full, so be mindful of that.
• Always count the amount of damage you can do with the Ezreal + Seraphine combo. This deck can often guarantee a burst finish simply by adding enough targetting spells to the stack and killing the opponent before they even get the chance to respond. Don’t give the opponent a window of opportunity when you don’t have to.

Pantheon Vayne(Runeterran + Targon)

Deck code: CECAEBIJAMCQEBQJAQQACAYJEMAQMAAVA4BACAANDIAQGCJTAEDAACYCAYEQMKACAQAAEAYCAUEQIDIBAIAACAA

[See Pantheon Vayne deck details]

General info

Pantheon Vayne is the latest Fated variant, with Vayne an incredible amount of support to this Demacia Targon staple. Saga Seeker carries the deck’s early game as it builds up towards leveling Pantheon. The addition of Vayne gives access to more free attacks to abuse our massive Fated threats!

👌 Strong Against: Swain TF, Ezreal Seraphine, Gwen Vayne, Gwen Katarina

👎 Weak Against: Pantheon Varus, Vayne Zed, Jax Vayne

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Look for Saga Seeker as our priority #1, but also try to pick up an equipment card. Equipment turns on Lunari Cultist and The Expanse’s Protection, as well as provides an efficient source of triggering Fated.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Aim to target at least one unit per turn in order to threaten Pantheon level-up ASAP. However, this shouldn’t be at the expense of wasting a card and/or mana.
• Picking the Scout weapon off of Wandering Shepherd allows us to turn Tumbles into Rallies.
• Single Combat and Concerted Strike are our only form of interaction on the stack. Remember this in case you need to develop a unit before a possible open-attack.

Vayne Zed (Demacia + Ionia)

Deck code: CECQKBQAAYFAWFIYAIDAEDJCAMAQEBQJBQAQMAYXAECQADACAEBQEFABAEBDCAA

[See Vayne Zed deck details]

General info

Zed is back with a new Demacia Ionia core, and now that Vayne has made an appearance, it’s more efficient than ever before! Forget Rallies, Tumble allows Zed to freely attack with ease, all while equipping him at the same time. Combined with powerful combat tricks like Momentous Choice and Wuju Style, it’s sure to put the opponent on a short clock!

👌 Strong Against: Rumble Vayne, Pantheon Vayne, Pirates, Gwen Katarina

👎 Weak Against: Swain TF, Ezreal Seraphine

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

This deck relies heavily on getting its champions and equipment early. Vayne and Zed should be top priority, but Ionian Hookmaster is also a solid pickup.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• It’s important to save some spell mana in order to protect our champions. One of the deck’s greatest strengths is Ionia’s efficient combat tricks, so be sure to have mana ready going into each turn.
• Ranger-Knight Defector + Tumble = Free Rally on the opponent’s turn.
• Take proactive passes when necessary. You can force the opponent to either play cautiously and make subpar plays, or risk overcommitting and getting blown out by a big Tumble turn.

A-tier LoR Decks

Pantheon Varus (Demacia + Targon)

Deck code: CEEACBQCEIBAKCIDAUBQMCIEEAUACAYJEMAQMAZCAEDAMJYBAYASEAIGBQEQGAIGA4CQCBQJAYAQGCKVAEAQMBZI

[See Pantheon Varus deck details]

General info

Pantheon Varus plays similar to other Pantheon lists, except it trades the free attacks and Rallies for a variety of powerful support spells via Varus’ Origin. Additionally, instead of relying on Pantheon as the main win condition, Varus is equally capable of closing out the game. Those attack buffs stack up fast!

👌 Strong Against: Pantheon Vayne, Jax Vayne, Gwen Vayne

👎 Weak Against: Ezreal Seraphine, Lurk

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Our actual equipment suite is quite low with only Lodestone, Shepherd, and Varus. Prioritize Lodestone and Shepherd in order to enable all of our “if you have equipped” cards.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Momentous Choice counts as two spells towards the free Varus draw. Keep this in mind, as it’s an easy way to get Varus online early when he isn’t already in hand.
• Varus grows incredibly fast and can be leveled mid-combat to gain Overwhelm and threaten lethal.
• The Unending Wave is powerful draw, but fleeting is a real cost in this deck. Be sure you have enough mana before casting it in order to increase the likelihood of playing both drawn cards.

Swain TF (Bilgewater + Noxus)

Deck code: CECQEAQDA4EQEBQGA4PACAYGBABACAZOG4BQEBQ2EYWQGAIGAYRAEAQDAEEACAQGDQBACAIDCYAQGAYN

[See Swain TF deck details]

General info

Swain TF is the more controlling side of Bilgewater Noxus. It takes advange of the Sentry + Flock package and utilizes cheap units and spells to win the board. Swain levels incredibly fast with Watchful Idol, and once flipped, becomes a massive threat that the opponent can not ignore!

👌 Strong Against: Lurk, Vayne Zed, Gwen Katarina,

👎 Weak Against: Pantheon Vayne, Ezreal Seraphine

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Watchful Idol is the perfect start to turbo level Swain by turn five. Additionally, look for cheap units like House Spider or spells like Make it Rain to halt early aggression.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• You can cast spells on Swain’s blockers in order to push through Overwhelm damage and trigger his nexus strike effect.
• Consider saving chump blockers in order to enable Flock/Scorched Earth/Noxian Guillotine. Similarly, keep in mind when you’ll need to preemptively cast a spell to avoid awkward enemy open-attacks.
• Riptide Rex can clean up a lot of board states or create a large dent in the opponent’s nexus. Just be sure you have a way to trigger Plunder as the deck has limited options to enable it.

Seraphine Viktor (Ionia + Piltover/Zaun)

Deck code: CEBQCBQFEABQMBAOCUUACAYEAMCAIBQECQLCAKYBAUCBQAIBAQ2AEAIFAEUAOAQBAQNSOAQGAQJB4AIFBJ3QCBAEA4AQGBICAECQIEIBAICAC

[See Seraphine Viktor deck details]

General info

Seraphine Viktor takes the explosiveness of Seraphine and adds the control side of Shadow Isles. The PnZ SI combinations gives access to most of the best, well-rounded removal spells, aimed to punish the opponent and take over the game.

👌 Strong Against: Katarina Yasuo, Pirates, Annie Jhin

👎 Weak Against: Jax Vayne, Rumble Vayne, Pantheon Varus

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

There are a lot of 1-ofs and 2-ofs in the deck in order to consistently capitalize on Seraphine. Focus on finding the right removal spells for the matchup. Seraphine and Viktor are always welcome keeps.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Be cautious of potential SpellShields in the matchup and hold pings when necessary in order to prevent getting blown out.
• There is a pretty sizeable amount of variance between cards like Back Alley Bar and Fanclub President. Knowing when you can afford to take a tempo loss is important, as you won’t always be lucky enough to find or generate the perfect card.
• Don’t be afraid to use your cards. Piltovan Tellstones and Sputtering Songspinner can fill your hand very quickly if it gets low.

Rumble Vayne (Demacia + Noxus)

Deck code: CEDQEAYDAEBQCAIADUBQMAYWC4NACBAAAMAQMAAVAECAGFQBAUFFQBABAUBQ2AIFAAGACBQDEQAQCAYLAIAQCAA2AECAAAQ

[See Rumble Vayne deck details]

General info

Rumble Vayne is an all-in combo deck that utilizes Legionary Charge to consistently find Rumble, then swing in multiple times per turn with free attacks. Rumble’s SpellShield + Tumble + Great Hammers is an incredibly fast clock when unanswered!

👌 Strong Against: Gwen Katarina, Gwen Vayne

👎 Weak Against: Vayne Zed, Ezreal Seraphine, Pirates

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Hard mulligan to find Rumble or Legionary Charge. Most units are simply here to provide discard targets for Rumble. Vayne is a solid keep if you’ve already found Rumble.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Rumble’s SpellShield is the only true form of protection. Be careful when casting Tumble or Catacylsm once the shield is removed.
• Remember, you only need to discard three cards to Rumble the first time you play him. Afterwards, just toss one to gain the additional point of Impact.
• Whirling Death can clear an enemy blocker while simultaneously pushing damage through with Overwhelm.

Gwen Katarina (Noxus + Shadow Isles)

Deck code: CEDAIBQFBQHBAHABAIBQSAQBAUUDCAIBAMVACBADCYAQKAYPAMBAMBINEAAQMAYXAEAQGLQCAEDAKJIBAECQG

[See Gwen Kat deck details]

General info

Efficiency and tempo are the name of the game. Go wide with cheap units as you pressure the enemy nexus. All three champions are difficult to block as they build up to threaten even more damage each turn. The Reckoner duo denies blockers and launches attacks even on defending turns.. And once we reach that final dance, the board floods with an endless rallying army!

👌 Strong Against: Pirates, Annie Jhin

👎 Weak Against: Swain TF, Jax Vayne, Vayne Zed

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Focus on early units such as Boisterous Host, Burgeoning Sentinel, House Spider, and Phantom Butler. Gwen is a great keep alongside an aggressive hand.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Be aware of which unit will receive the Hallowed buff before committing your attack. Similarly, be aware of which unit will be revived with Eternal Dancers.
• Reviving Katarina or Ruined Reckoner enables extra attacks and/or rallies. You can use this to set up sneaky lethals. This lets The Harrowing launch an attack without needing the attack token.
• Ruined Reckoner on Gwen can flip her on the same turn.

Jax Vayne (Runeterran + Demacia)

Deck code: CECQKBQABMIRKGY5AEDAGFYBAYGAQAIGAYOQCBAAAIBQEAIADIOQCBQCDQBAMAAGDEBQCBQADIAQMCIEAEBAAAI

[See Jax Vayne deck details]

General info

Equipment beatdown is the name of the game, and Jax takes it to a whole new level. With help from Vayne, Jax flips very quickly. Then all it takes is a few free attacks or Rallies to end the game.

👌 Strong Against: Seraphine Viktor, Katarina Yasuo, Lurk, Pantheon Vayne

👎 Weak Against: Akshan Lee Sin, Pantheon Varus

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Look for an efficient curve, as you don’t need to bank much spell mana early on. Early Improvise units should be prioritized in order to maximize Tumble efficiency.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Zealous Ranger-Knight is a powerful beater when equipped. This is especially true with the Scout weapon, as the stat buff will trigger and compound. An excellent target for free attacks.
• You can use Fish Fight as a means of moving a weapon from one ally to another (as it goes back to hand). Additionally, Tumble can reequip it again efficiently.
• Kind-Hearted Recruit can be used both offensively or defensively. In this deck, it’s essentially a five mana Brightsteel Formation!

Annie Jhin (Noxus + Runeterran)

Deck code: CEEQCBQDBQAQEBR4AMAQGAQMFAAQCBBWAIBAGAYEAECASDIBAYBAGAIFAEDACBQMAIBACAYFAYAQIAYDAA

[See Annie Jhin deck details]

General info

Annie Jhin is an aggressive burn deck that utilizes some of the most efficient 1-drops in the game. Flood the board wide early and stun any blockers that get in your way. Then finish the game with burn!

👌 Strong Against: Pantheon Varus, Gwen Vayne

👎 Weak Against: Pirates, Seraphine Viktor

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Look for multiple 1-drops to threaten a wide aggressive start, or Jhin to help proc additional free damage.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Taking damage is okay, you usually want to keep your stun cards for attack turns.
• Be okay with sacrificing Annie to push burn damage especially if you have another one in hand.
• Playing Jhin before the attack to setup for multiple stuns on the next turn is a great way to push lethal damage.

Pirates (Bilgewater + Noxus)

Deck code: CECQKAQGCYNCMLJ2AQAQGAQMB4UACBIGAEAQEAYDAEDAMHQCAEBAGBABAEBSKAA

[See Pirates deck details]

General info

Classic Pirates is one of the most aggressive burn decks around, but with support from Eye of Nagakabouros, it can even outlast the typical aggro deck. ‎

👌 Strong Against: Annie Jhin, Lurk, Rumble Vayne, Gwen Vayne

👎 Weak Against: Seraphine Viktor, Vayne Zed

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

The deck runs twelve 1-drops for a reason, so always mulligan to ensure you have one. Consider the matchup when prioritizing one over the other. Legion Rearguard is great against decks without 1-drops and can avoid 1 damage pings like Vile Feast. Precious Pet and Legion Saboteur are best against other units, as Pet can avoid blockers with Fearsome while Saboteur can trade while still pushing one damage.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Zap Sprayfin is guaranteed to pull either Make it Rain or Noxian Fervor. Be sure to factor in that potential damage when looking to find those final points of damage for lethal.
• Eye of Nagakabouros can be used as a burst speed 2/2 attacker. This is especially relevant when you need to push just a bit more damage before finishing the game with burn.
• Utilize Noxian Fervor to deny enemy Lifesteal or in response to the opponent’s removal.

Akshan Lee Sin (Ionia + Shurima)

Deck code: CECQEBQCBYRAGBAHQAAYEAMKAEAQMAYXAEAQEMIBAIBAMAYDAYDQIBJGAIDAEDJEAMBAEAYFBAAA

[See Akshan Lee Sin deck details]

General info

Akshan Lee Sin is a OTK deck that uses Absolver and Warlord’s Hoard to threaten a near-unstoppable combo kill. Utilize spells at the perfect time to punish and kick your opponent to victory!

👌 Strong Against: Gwen Katarina, Jax Vayne, Pantheon Vayne

👎 Weak Against: Pantheon Varus, Ezreal Seraphine

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Akshan is extremely important for the deck, so hard mulligan in order to find him. Vekauran Vagabond can be a reasonable Plan B if you’re unable to find him.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• We’re ideally looking to set up an open-attack with Lee Sin + SpellShield buff + Absolver. Aim to have Lee Sin already on board so that you can immediately combo before giving the opponent any action to respond at slow speed.
• Try to hold up enough mana for Deny in order to have insurance against decks that can answer your combo.
• Save Tellstones and Palm for when you really need them. It’s okay to take some damage and chump block with our units. We lack removal overall, so be sure you have answers to any problematic threats.

B-tier LoR Decks

Plunder (Bilgewater + Freljord)

Deck code: CECAMAQGBMKCAIJNHIAQKBQBAMDAMFI5DYAQEAICAEBAEBQSFABACBQGDQBAEBQCEY

[See Plunder deck details]

General info

The classic Plunder archetype is a Bilgewater allegience deck that aims to deal damage to the enemy nexus each turn in order to level-up Gangplank and Sejuani. These are two of the strongest level two champions in the entire game, but they require a bit of work and planning. Nab adds an element of RNG to the deck, but adds potential for some cheeky plays like using the opponent’s own Deny against them!

👌 Strong Against: Lurk, Rumble Vayne, Swain TF, Annie Jhin

👎 Weak Against: Pantheon Varus, Gwen Vayne

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Look for early plays that can kickstart the Plunder game plan. Warning Shot is a reasonable keep alongside cards like Jagged Butcher or Black Market Merchant. Shellshocker also pairs well with Parrrley to pick off one health enemies while still presenting a unit.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎

• Combat damage is ideal for triggering Plunder on our attacking turns. So when possible, save spells to make progress while defending.
• Eye of Nagakabouros can be used as a burst speed attacker to help go wide enough to trigger Plunder.
• Jagged Butcher can be played without its Plunder condition if it can get you a Gangplank or Sejuani trigger.

Gwen Vayne (Demacia + Shadow Isles)

Deck code: CEBQIBQFBQHBAHABAECTCAQGAAFRKBYCAYCQGDIBAMAA4AIBAANACAIFFABAIAACAMAQMAAGAEBAAAIBAEDAKIA

[See Gwen Vayne deck details]

General info

Gwen Vayne takes advantage of Rallies and free attacks to capitalize on Hallowed triggers. Gwen’s power grows incredibly fast, especially when you can stack it up multiple times per turn!

👌 Strong Against: Gwen Katarina, Plunder

👎 Weak Against: Pirates, Rumble Vayne, Pantheon Vayne, Vayne Zed

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Look for early Hallowed units to start building up the buff. Both Gwen and Vayne are definite keeps to start applying major pressure to the board.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Opulent Foyer is often best played on the opponent’s turn. The free Ephemeral blocker is often enough to deter combat, then once the turn passes, another one will summon immediately.
• The Overwhelm weapon works wonders with Gwen to push her massive damage over the top. The Scout weapon is a solid second choice to turn Tumbles into Rallies.
• Our only real form of protection is Sharpsight, so be extra mindful of the cards you’ll need to play around.

Lurk (Bilgewater + Shurima)

Deck code: CEBAIBAGAEBQKDYGAQDRGFSBIRFFAAYBAYDQKAIEA5CQCBAGA4CACBAGAQAQMBZBAECAOOYBAYDC2

[See Lurk deck details]

General Info 

Lurk is centered around proccing the Lurk keyword as much as possible. It’s an archetype for players that like to attack and swing face with huge statted units.

👌 Strong Against: Gwen Katarina, Pantheon Varus, Pantheon Vayne

👎 Weak Against: Pirates, Jax Vayne, Ezreal Seraphine, Rumble Vayne, Seraphine Viktor

How to Play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

We’re trying to trigger Lurk as much as possible so prioritize mulligan for a good early curve.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Snapjaw is best used on off turns in order to trigger more Lurks.
• We want to avoid playing Rek’Sai unless we can level her that turn, or if we plan on using her on a turn we also want to cast Pyke’s Bone Skewer.
• Predicts are perfect in order to ensure we have a Lurker on top of our deck or to grab key cards when we need them for a matchup.

Katarina Yasuo (Ionia + Noxus)

Deck code: CEDACAQDBEBAMAQKBYBQCAQIBQHQCBQDC4BACAZKFYAQEAQFAMAQGAQUAIAQELRRAEAQGBABAIDAGGRB

[See Katarina Yasuo deck details]

General info

Katarina Yasuo is a deck that pops off once it has time to assemble its stun engine. Keep your enemies at bay with an arsenal of stuns, then strike right back at them!

👌 Strong Against: Off-Meta Decks

👎 Weak Against: Seraphine Viktor, Jax Vayne, Ezreal Seraphine

How to play

🃏 Mulligan 🃏

Yasuo, Katarina, and Windswept Hillock are crucial pieces for the deck. These cards create a powerful engine, but it can take time to set up. Prioritize these cards, plus other early interaction such as the Sentry + Flock combo.

💡 Tips 💡 ‎ ‎ ‎

• Assembling your engines is how this deck wins. Don’t be afraid to pass before putting down your main cards until you have additional mana to protect them.
• Be patient with saving your interaction for the most vital scenarios when playing against value decks. Against aggro, spend your cards to minimize damage as we generally can’t afford to be greedy.
• Fae Bladetwirler can apply a lot of pressure on the opponent and often force an answer, or help keep them on the backfoot. Take advantage of this to help sustain through the early game.

Conclusion

So there you have it! We’ll be updating the decks regularly so check back here. We also have our dedicated meta feature for LoR within our platform. See you next time.

Thanks for reading! To explore all the cards in LoR, check out our Card Gallery or jump straight into our Deck Builder if you already got some ideas from our article. Show us your best decks in the comments below. 

The post Legends of Runeterra Best Decks – Meta Report appeared first on Mobalytics.

In this patch breakdown, we’ll discuss all the buffs/nerfs/adjustments from the latest balance changes.

We recommend following along with the official Riot patch notes if you’re looking for their explanations related to game design.

With just a week and a half till seasonals the meta is about to get turned fully on its head.

I’m Jordan “WhatAmI” Abronson and you better start up those brewing engines because we’ve got a patch that is going to demand some new strategies be brough to the forefront.

Balance Changes

Leona

Coming down on five in her own deck we can reasonably assume this lady of light will always be leveled. That means we’ve been given a five mana 4/6 with challenger, barrier, and a stun effect for your opponent’s strongest unit.

I don’t know if that will be enough to catapult Leona to dominance but it is an absolutely huge tempo swing. One that might be enough to let some powerful midrange strategies shine.

Sun Guardian

A three mana 3/4 is nothing to sneeze at. And one that will continue to grow is pretty nice. With no keyword this will never be anything but a brick wall, but if a wall is what you need Badgerbear 2.0 is here to deliver.

Solari Stellacorn

This looks like a bit of an innocuous effect at first glance. However, I want to keep in mind the power of adding health to challenger units. Four mana is a lot to ask for this effect, but stellacorn is now at least worth taking a look at in the right kind of archetype.

Morning Light

This is actually quite the scary turn five play with Leona if you have banked mana. You can still buff your board while stunning three potential blockers from your opponent. Anyone planning to combat your aggression with units is going to have some serious issues.

Sunburst

I was already occasionally willing to play these alongside vengeance. Taking it down to five mana gives this card a niche of its own and I am excited to see all the different possibilities that will be unlocked.

Nocturne

The lord of the night is finally also the lord of fear. This will unlock huge amounts of deckbuilding potential for this powerful tempo four drop. Who knows where he’ll land but it is great to see him unhooked from an otherwise quite linear and defining archetype.

The Twisted Treeline/Vilemaw

I enjoy this kind of buff. The kind that allows things to be more powerful thematically while at the same time unchaining them from specific decks.

That said this still starts actually attacking extremely late in a deck that wants to be quite aggressive. I’m on the skeptical side of this one.

Hate Spike/Kennen

I put these two together because they are effectively reverts of recent buffs.

Both of these cards were proven to be extremely powerful after the nudge they were given. Unfortunately, this may mean they regress into unplayability, but only time will tell where they land.

Concurrent Timelines

The difference between one mana and two is absolutely huge. More even than just the tempo it saps from the deck that wants to play it, this powerful effect now has significant counterplay in Nopeify. This might not kill the deck entirely, but I suspect it will take it out of tier one contention.

Targon’s Peak

Alas, peak game play has been delayed another turn. That said this card was almost always coming down early thanks to the region it tended to be paired with so it’s more like they’re setting it back to the turn it was meant to be on all along.

The god draws of this deck will still do crazy things, but the average has been touched up just a bit to take the sting off of trying to play against it. I think that this will be a welcome nerf for many. Let the meme decks stay meme decks.

Viego

Oof. Possibly one of the hardest ways to nerf a card is to up its mana cost. Going from five to six is a serious hit.

Along with multiple other rough moments for his favorite decks Runeterra’s favorite misty lad may be bound for the outskirts of the metagame once more.

Sai’Nen Thousand Tailed

This nerf will hit the defensive capabilities of this card while not particularly effecting its planned place in the decks that love it. This is a well-deserved hit but not one that I think takes the fox out of playability.

The Harrowing

Bringing this powerful slow spell back to its original mana cost makes some amount of sense when you are buffing the deck that uses it best. Fearsome aggro was a powerful force, so we’ll see if it still enjoys this card at the ten mana mark.

Rite of Calling

The difference between zero mana and one is catastrophic. There might still be decks that want to use this card, but they will be few and far between. Single champion Shurima decks are definitely going to feel the sting of this one.

Riptide Sermon

This will take what was arguably the best card in the game and tell it to slow down a minute. You still basically get a three point tri-beam for six mana so I could see it making some decks. It just won’t be the auto three of in every bilgewater deck it had become.

Decimate

Jayce players rejoice. The time for six mana eight damage directly to face has come! In all seriousness this will sadden a great many burn decks, but perhaps that means we can get some additional power for our aggro lovers in other exciting places now?

Tahm Kench

I think this officially un-benches Mr. Kench here. Sir Thomas Kenchium has decided that Runeterra moves too quickly to wait a turn and will begin devouring the instant he hits play.

This is going to lead to some crazy tadpole mirrors, let me tell you.

Fiora

Any time a card says “Win the game,” I get scared. That said the pushing of this powerful lady to four mana means that you can’t really build a deck with her as the only card anymore which I approve of.

We’ll have to see if her new powerful stat line can carry the deserved mana cost increase it brought with it.

Master Yi

While this is an absolutely huge buff I don’t know if it solved the fundamental problem that Yi had. Namely that he was quite effective on turn three and basically useless later in the game.

We’ll have to see if the ceiling being raised so high makes up for the continued depth of the floor, but I remain skeptical.

Ornn

If there is a deck that can make Ornn come down leveled up consistently then I could see some cool things happening here. That said a seven mana card with no protection and no instant effect is not something I am particularly thrilled to play in a metagame filled with Ionian bounce triggers.

Swain

Holy overwhelming game ender batman. The level one buff is cute but the level two buff is absolutely mind blowingly powerful.

If you can consistently drop this leveled on turn five or six Swain will now single handedly end games. Noxus is on the rise and its general is ready for war.

Illaoi

It’s nice to see this powerful lady get her point of health back.

That said I doubt this will be enough with all the other hits that her archetype has taken. I think unfortunately our lady of tentacles will remain sidelined.

Iula

Grant is a huge upgrade to this card. I may just be a degenerate but my first thought here isn’t “Yay pantheon buffs.” My first thought is “Huh, now I get to spellshield my Zoe un-interactably on turn three.” Good times.

The Paper Tree

Erm, I guess this is technically an upgrade. Kind of giving half a forge each time a unit that is equipped manages to attack though doesn’t quite seem like it’s good enough? Maybe this will do something cool with Bandle City Jax but I am not exactly holding my breath.

Shrieking Spinner

This will turn spiderlings into must-block threats and any fearsome spider into a terrifying damage dealer. I don’t know if the decks that want it can justify slowing down on turn four to spend all their mana on a slow threat like this, but it is now definitely worthy of consideration.

Ritual of Renewal

I’ve got to admit I’m still not really sold on this card. A four mana do nothing is better than a seven mana do nothing for sure, but it’s still not really something I’d like to main deck. Karma buff maybe?

Leviathan

Remember earlier with Viego where I said mana was one of the hardest points on a card you could hit? Yeah. Along with the swain buff this warship has me quaking in my boots and trying to figure out the best Noxus tempo deck I can find.

Magical Journey/Realm’s Caretaker

I’ve lumped these together because I don’t really think the buffs here get them into the realm of playability.

Maybe if you can guarantee your chime hits Nora? But other than that, I’m not really seeing the power here.

Grumpy Rockbear

While an extra point of health is obviously nice this is still a random stat stick without any keywords that comes down too late in the game to really be worth it. I understand what Mr. Rcokbear is grumpy about and I don’t think this buff is going to help with his mood.

Mammoth Shaman

This card’s gargantuan stats were not really the issue here.

Being six mana and not doing anything the moment you hit the board is a rough place to be. I’m going to be on the doubting side of this particular shaman.

Windsinger

Elusive is an absolutely huge keyword to put on any unit. And 3/3 is a respectable set of stats for an Elusive unit to have. Six is still quite a lot of mana, but this could potentially turn into a powerful one of in some specific decks.

Funsmith

Again, the thing that has been adjusted was not really what the card needed. It’s nice that when this card is forced into combat it can actually do anything now, but she still doesn’t want to be there. I don’t think this will take Funsmith into top tier viability any time soon.

Bonus Deck: BloodMoon

Deck Code: CEBQIAYJC5EWBWIBAMBAGAIHBEAQMAYXAMBAGCKWLQBACAZOG4AQEAYIAMBQGCITEMZQEBIJBUHACBADAI

You know what powerful champion loves playing a value/tempo game and does a bunch of damage to help with Swayne’s level up? That’s right, moon boy is here to help our new Noxian overlords realize their reign of terror. Even better Sunburst also just got a powerful tune-up.

Six damage is half of Swayne’s level up condition all on its own. And removing almost anything for the now quite reasonable price of five mana is nothing to shake a crow at.

Beyond that we’re just running a suite of powerful units and solid removal spells. Midrange find your own win condition decks have long been some of my favorites and I will definitely be trying to make this one work come patch day.

Thanks for reading! For more expert impressions, check out our other LoR guides.

The post Legends of Runeterra Patch Notes Breakdown (Patch 3.13.0) appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hey everyone, Kuvira here! It’s been exactly one week since the new set “A Curious Journey” got released and players have had enough time to experiment with all the new cards and create lots of fun new archetypes.

The meta has not settled yet but we’ve got a pretty good idea of the general power level of all the new cards.

Today I’m making a top 10 of the strongest cards from the last set using data and opinions that I’ve gathered throughout this week.

Note, as you look through the article you’ll see Meta Stats references. Here are the column categories for reference since the screenshots may be cut off if the card was in the middle of the list:

#10: Assistant Librarian

Assistant Librarian is a 2 mana 2|2 Fae with the Fated keyword and a really strong effect, it draws a card on Nexus Strike.

The keyword Fated on such a cheap unit coupled with Nexus Strike is incredibly important. Blocking Fated units can be very scary since they’re almost guaranteed to win the combat trade when used with cheap Burst speed spells like Sharpsight or Pale Cascade. Assistant Librarian also works with all the other Fae-related spells and units.

Here’s an example of a deck that gets the most out of Assistant Librarian:

It’s important to note that Overwhelm damage will always trigger Nexus Strike so Zenith Blade and Crystal Ibex are great combos with Assistant Librarian.

#9: Vulpine Wanderer

Vulpine Wander is the only new Frejlord card that makes it in this top 10 and probably is the only competitive one from the whole Udyr batch of cards.
It’s a 2 mana 2|2 follower that creates a Stance Swap.

Stance Swap is a 3 mana Slow speed spell that lets you choose between multiple stances:

• Wildclaw Stance grants +2 attack and Overwhelm to a unit, this can be used as a way to put pressure or finish games.
• Ram Stance deals 1 damage to everything except the targeted ally unit, it’s a great spell to deal with wide boards vs aggression.
• Boar Stance grants +2 health and regeneration to a unit, this is great on a Challenger unit or any unit that needs to attack.
• Bear Stance grants +2|+2 to an ally, it’s a classic situational buff.

The flexibility of all these stances, from the board wipe to the overwhelm finisher makes Vulpine Wanderer a must in every Frejlord Midrange deck including all the Udyr decks.

This is a good example of a Frejlord Midrange list that uses Vulpine Wanderer well:

#8: Durand Sculptor

Durand Sculptor is one of the Galio Durand Followers released this set. It’s a 2 mana 2|2 follower with a simple but powerful effect, it grants every other summoned unit +1 health.

This card does well in Galio decks as a way to buff formidable units, effectively granting them +1|+1 but can also be used in any Demacia deck that tries to swarm like the Demacia version of Yordles in Arms.

Currently, the best deck that uses Durand Sculptor is again Scouts:

Granting MF 1 Health is crucial and makes her harder to remove. The generated value with units like Marai Warden, Island Navigator, and Quinn is also huge since all of them summon 2 units.

Durand Sculptor is somewhat like a Ranger’s Resolve in this list.

# 7: Grandfather Fae

Grandfather Fae is a 2 mana 1|2 Fae follower that creates an Owl Cat when summoned, he also has a permanent effect that grants all Fae units +1 attack on summon including the Owl Cat he generates.

Overall this card on its own generates a good amount of value, a total of 4|3 stats for 2 mana. It is similar to House Spider but with a much higher value ceiling.

Grandfather Fae card is a must include in all Fae decks, the amount of attack it gives, especially when double drawn puts lots of pressure on the opponent. It also swings Fearsome matchups since all Fae gain enough attack to block.

The fact that this card is a multi-region Ionia/Bandle City makes it shine in Bandle Tree, Yordles in Arms, and even Tristana decks.

In this deck, Grandfather Fae represents a trigger for Yordles in Arms, a Fearsome blocker, and a way to go wide.

# 6: Wallop

Wallop is Gnar’s Champion spell, like all the other champion spells it is also a main-able card. It’s a 3 mana Fast speed Stun that also deals 1 to the unit.

Bandle City is a region that somewhat lacked open attack punishers, they had to use at least 6 mana (Minimorph) to stop a big unit on an open attack. Wallop gives Bandle another layer of protection and a great way to slow down the opponent’s game plan for only 3 mana.

In Gnar Swain, for example, the combination of Arachnoid Sentry as a development punisher and Wallop for open attacks makes it very hard for the opponent to deal damage with attacks.

# 5: Gleaming Lantern

Like Poros, Elnuks, and Yordles, in this set we’ve got a new tribe, Faes. Gleaming lantern is a 3 mana 3|3 Fae follower with an effect that makes the first Fae unit you play each round cost 2 less.

This card needs to be removed as soon as it is played because of the amount of value it generates and how much it accelerates games.

Coupled with wide board payoff cards like Yordles in Arms or Golden Aegis, Gleaming Lantern is a major threat.

# 4: Papercraft Dragon:

This is one of the multiple Fae units released on this set and probably is the best one of them all.

Papercraft Dragon is a 5 mana 2|2 Double Attack attach unit. Attach is one of the 2 new keywords from this set, it reads:

Play me on an ally to give it my stats and keywords while I’m attached, when that ally leaves play, recall me.

Double Attack is a very rare and scary keyword, when coupled with Overwhelm these two keywords can easily OTK the opponent since the first strike removes the unit(while dealing overwhelm damage) and the second strike hits the nexus for full damage.

One of the things that makes this card so strong is the fact that when the buffed unit leaves the board, Papercraft Dragon goes back to the hand, meaning that you can replay it on another unit and restart your combo whenever you want.

It is also very important to note that Silence and Minimorph do not remove the 2|2 buff nor the double attack, meaning that you can give overwhelm to the unit after they try to stop it and still threaten to finish the game.

Papercraft Dragon gave birth to multiple fun OTK decks that are still highly competitive if not tier 1. Currently, the two best Papercraft Dragon decks are Gnar Akshan and Fizz Riven :

# 3: Shield of Durand

Shield of Durand is the new hot protection spell in Demacia. It’s a 3 mana Burst speed health buff that GRANTS +0|+3 this turn and +0|+2 on the next round start. This makes it worth a total of 5 health stats for only 3 mana. When combined with a formidable unit this represents a +5|+5 buff again for only 3 mana.

This card is what makes Galio decks playable and can single-handedly win games when used on the right unit.

This is a great example of a Galio deck that utilizes this card to its full potential when combined with healing:

# 2: Petricite Broadwing

Another good Demacia Challenger? YEP. It’s a 0|3 Challenger with formidable that can be played on turn 2 it is the only 2 drop Challenger unit that doesn’t die to Mystic Shot. The formidable keyword makes a unit deal damage equal to its health instead of attack.

Petricite Broadwing shines in Galio decks, with cards like Durand Protege, Durand Architect, Durand Sculptor, and especially Shield of Durand. Combined with all these cards Petricite Broadwing can single-handedly win games on its own.

On top of having a very high-value ceiling, Petricite Broadwing’s value floor is also extremely high, this 2 mana 3|3 Challenger can be played in basically any Demacia deck regardless of the speed of the deck or archetype. That explains its 63.8% inclusion rate in Demacia decks.

One of the best decks that use Petricite Broadwing this meta is Scouts with a very solid win rate:

# 1: Gnar

Gnar is the king of the meta right now, he’s seeing play in 57.5% of Bandle City decks which is extremely high for a champion to make it in so many different archetypes within the same region. He’s also the second-highest played card in the whole game, coming in right after Pokey Stick.

He represents everything you want in a champion, easy to level up, great stats/keywords, Great keyword, insanely high-value floor, and ceiling, creates a cheap removal spell that draws one and grants Vulnerable to remove a big threat, can finish games with his Overwhelm on his level up…

As you can see, Gnar just does it all, the flexibility of the card being in both Frejlord and Bandle City regions meaning you can play gnar with Frejlord + X or Bandle City + X adds to his insane power level.

When combined with protection spells like Troll Chant or Sharpsight Gnar becomes very hard to remove with spells like Get Excited, The Box, Grasp of The Undying, Darkness, etc…

Even if you try to remove him with Challenger units he’ll at least always get a pokey stick out from his strike effect which ends up being either even for the gnar player or better in terms of value.

The only effective way to deal with Gnar is to use hard removal cards like Vengeance, Sunburst, or Minimorph, and since all these spells cost 6 mana while gnar is only 4, dealing with him usually ends up in a lost value trade.

Gnar can be played with literally any Bandle City or Frejlord deck, but the strongest ladder deck that uses him in my opinion is Trundle Timelines:

I hope you guys enjoyed this top 10. Feel free to DM me on Twitter if you have any questions about this article or just want to talk about LoR stuff!

The post Top 10 Cards from A Curious Journey appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hey everyone, Nicmakesplays here. With a new season comes a new meta. I’m here to talk about what has changed and what the meta currently looks like.

We’ll be covering the decks that got stronger, the decks that got weaker, and then diving into the newcomers and lastly, the decks that are really strong in the current meta.

First, let’s look at what changed from last season.

Decks that got weaker

• Ahri Kennen: Ahri Kennen got hit in terms of power and consistency. Ahri lost health making her easier to remove via combat or with removal spells. Kinkou Wayfinder now summons one unit instead of two which is a significant nerf to the deck as well as its consistency. Before, summoning two units made it so the deck could reliably level Ahri and Kennen with ease.
• Iceborn Poros: Iceborn Poros got a direct nerf via the change to Iceborn Legacy. The deck can no longer use Iceborn Legacy with Daring Poro on turn 3 since it now costs 6. Iceborn Legacy being a focus speed spell also makes it so you have to pre-commit it and can’t use it in response to removal spells.
• Iceborn Spiders: Iceborn Spiders suffer from the Iceborn Legacy nerf as well.

Decks that got stronger

• GP Sejuani: Gangplank Sejuani got a new card to work with in the form of Tusk Speakers. This card is perfect for the deck because it reliably gives you Plunder triggers in the early game to level your champs, or to trigger Sejuani’s level 2 form.
• Pantheon: Although Wounded Whiteflame was nerfed, the deck got a plethora of new tools. Particularly Petricite Broadwing is an insanely powerful card to hold down the early game for the deck.
• Bandle Tree: Bandle Tree can now use Gnar as the Frejlord rep instead of having to use Proto Poro. The deck also has access to Buster Shot which is an amazing answer to Gnar, this positions the deck well.
• Yordles in Arms: Yordles in Arms also have access to Gnar now and actually were the first deck to hit Master Rank #1 via FaintHD!
• Scouts: Scouts can use Petricite Broadwing to hold down the early game as well and were the second deck to hit Masters via TheBlackBoss!

New Decks

Now, let’s take a look at some of the newcomers.

Fizz Gnar Yordles In Arms

Deck Code: CECQEAYEAUJACAQGFYBQCBBHFU2AMBIKGFX2CANGAGXQDQABAECAIEAAAEAQCBAM

[See Fizz Gnar Yordles In Arms deck details]

This new variant of Yordles in Arms is extremely versatile, utilizing both Bandle City Swarm and tons of pings. This deck can keep up card advantage with card generation and Pokey Sticks while widening your board. Then, you can finish off the game with Yordles in Arms + burn spells.

This deck has the ability to switch between aggro pressure or value gameplan in a flash and has hit Rank #1.

It’s strong against the entire field and you want to mulligan for Fizz, Yordles In Arms, and Boom Baboon.

Pantheon Galio

Deck Code: CECQEAIABEGQIBIABEGBEFADAMERWIZTAEBQADQCAUEQGBQCAEBQSXABAEABUAA

[See Pantheon Galio deck details]

This is the Pantheon Galio deck I made which is currently the highest win rate Galio deck in the game. While Soraka Galio is sitting under 50% win rate, this deck is currently at 54%.

The strategy of this deck is to hold down the mid-game with your beefy units and strong buff spells. You only take combat trades you win and try to keep a wide board with your units alive.

Then, you can drop down Galio or Pantheon and win the game. The perk of Pantheon over Soraka is you have two ways to win the game, rather than relying on only Galio. This deck is strong against other combat-oriented decks since you have strong combat tricks, as well as Control due to your high health and buff spells.

In this deck, you want to mulligan for Chain Vest + Petricite Broadwing or Petricite Hound to hold down the early game.

Ziggs Gnar Aggro

Deck Code: CQBQEAQDAMCAIAIDAIGCKKAGAUFAOMKJUEA2GANGAEBACAIDB4AQKCVIAEAA

[See Ziggs Gnar Aggro deck details]

Ziggs Gnar Aggro is the new variant of Noxus Bandle Aggro. It runs the usual Aggro package but now has access to Gnar. Gnar is insanely strong usually pushing 4 damage the turn he comes down and gives you a Pokey Stick.

Then, he helps remove threats with his Vulnerable while pushing for Overwhelm damage. The Pokey Stick he gives also helps you refuel and dig for cards to finish the game like Decimate.

This deck is strong against Midrange decks since you can kill them quicker by being ahead on board and then finishing with burn spells.

You’ll want to mulligan for a strong early game curve such as 1 drops and two drops.

If you already have these, Ziggs is a strong turn 3 and Gnar is good for turn 4 when going second.

Swain Gnar

Deck Code: CQBQCAIDDYBQEAYBA4EQMBIKBYYUTIIBUYA2QAICAECQUAIEAEBQIFROG4AA

[See Swain Gnar deck details]

Swain Gnar is currently the highest win rate deck in the game with a whopping 59% win rate. This deck has answers to just about everything and has tons of card generation to keep up the value. You can hold down the early/mid game with your removal spells, blockers and then summon your powerful Transform units.

All of your Transform units have strong effects and are hard to deal with when backed up by removal to stop enemy threats.

Then, on turn 8 you can drop Leviathan + Swain and lock the game out from there. This deck can deal with just about every scenario while putting on strong pressure with Gnar. Swain Gnar is the perfect counter to Midrange decks.

This deck has Flocks and Guillotines to clear just about any unit, and Culling Strike is great against the new Formidable units as well. Once Leviathan + Swain come down it’s easy to lock combat-oriented decks out of the game.

Mulligan for early game blockers + Flock to get you to the mid-game.

Fiora Yuumi

Deck Code: CQCACAYABYBAKAAMCQCAKCQ5GFBKMAIFAEAASDY2DUWQEAICAAAQCBIKVYAQA

[See Fiora Yuumi deck details]

Fiora Yuumi is a new and refreshing way to play Fiora. Fiora benefits perfectly from being buffed by Yuumi every turn to turn into a unit the enemy can’t deal with. You can get 4 kills with Fiora to win through her leveled-up ability, or just start attacking for game when she has a high attack.

The new card, Friendship, allows her to have access to Spellshield as well, which protects her from removal spells.

This deck is great against Aggro or any deck that doesn’t have a direct answer to Fiora.

Mulligan for Fiora as a top priority, and then after that Yuumi + protection spells for her.

Zoe Lee Sin

Deck Code: CEBQKAYJBENSGM6XAEBQEAQDAUDACAICBQCACAYCCQBAGCITKUBACAQCGEAQEAQJAEAQEAQI

[See Zoe Lee Sin deck details]

Lee Sin is currently the Combo deck of the meta. Usually known as a top-tier tournament deck, this deck also has a unique matchup spread which allows it to have its place on Ranked.

This deck is great against Aggro and Midrange since Eye of the Dragon can hold down the mid-game until you can finish them off with Lee Sin or a Zoe level up.

In this deck, you want to mulligan for Eye of the Dragon or Gifts from Beyond to keep you alive while you set up your hand for a Lee Sin OTK.

What is currently “Meta”?

As of writing this article, it’s only been a few days into the new expansion. But already some decks are performing better than others, so I’m going to go over the ones that are having breakout performances.

New cards such as Gnar and Broadwing Petricite are having huge impacts on the meta and are shaping the game as we know it.

These are the decks I would recommend using on ranked because currently, they are having huge success.

Gnar Swain

Deck Code: CQBQCAIDDYBQEAYBA4EQMBIKBYYUTIIBUYA2QAICAECQUAIEAEBQIFROG4AA

[See Gnar Swain deck details]

Gnar Swain as we talked about earlier has the highest win rate in the whole game right now at 59%.

This deck has answers to just about everything and can utilize Gnar, which is the strongest champ of the new expansion.

Scouts

Deck Code: CEDAIAIAAYER2MYCAQAAEBYBAUAAYAIDAAHAEAQGCY7ACAQAAYBQCAQAA4AQKAAKAECQMAIBAEBAACQ

[See Scouts deck details]

Scouts were already performing exceptionally last season and now have some new tools. Petricite Broadwing is amazing in the early game to gain field control from beneficial combat trades.

Durand Sculptor also makes your units much more resilient to removal and is particularly strong since this deck swarms the board. The deck is sitting at a 55% win rate and was one of the first decks to hit Masters.

This deck is great against Control due to Rangers Resolve + Durand Sculptor. It also is great against Aggro since you can just remove their units with Challengers and then finish them off with Rally.

In this deck, you want to mulligan for Miss Fortune since she is the strongest card in your deck. Durand Sculptor is also good to start buffing your board early, and Petricite Broadwing to start controlling the field in the early game.

FaintHD’s Yordles In Arms

Deck Code: CECQEAYEAUJACAQGFYBQCBBHFU2AMBIKGFX2CANGAGXQDQABAECAIEAAAEAQCBAM

[See FaintHD’s Yordles In Arms deck details]

FaintHD’s Yordles In Arms deck was the first to hit Masters Rank #1 and is at the top of the ladder right now.

This deck has tons of ways to keep up card advantage, has many ways to access Pokey Stick which is one of the best spells in the game and can swing for game out of nowhere with Yordles In Arms.

Whether it’s the continuous value this deck generates, the aggressive pressure, or both, this deck is a huge threat to try and keep up with.

Bandle Tree

Deck Code: CEBQCAQDBEAQCAZXAYCQU5EEAGQQDJQBV4A4EAICAYCQUAJ2NKMADQABYYAQCAIDFYBACAYDBUAQKCRJ

[See Bandle Tree deck details]

Here is my Bandle Tree deck with its new addition, Gnar. Some players such as FloppyMudkip even have a 65% win rate with this deck right now.

This is the tried and true Bandle Tree deck that just got second at seasonals, but they now have access to the strongest new champ in the game. As you can see Gnar is everywhere and Buster Shot is the perfect answer to him.

Spending 2 mana to kill Gnar is potentially the best answer in the game to him, and this deck runs 3 copies. This deck is amazing at anything without a direct answer to The Bandle Tree, as well as all the Gnar decks running around.

In this deck, you want to mulligan for early game blockers/Flocks to control the board and start working on your Bandle Tree wincon. Against Gnar decks, you can also mulligan for Buster Shot for him.

Darkness

Deck Code: CQCACAIFFAAQGBIQAICQKCAJAYCQUMJZLVPGFJQBAEBQCBIBDUXAEAQBAUHTCAQFBIARU

[See Darkness deck details]

Next up is Darkness. Darkness is a deck that was one of the staple top tiers from last season and not much has changed there. Darkness was the first deck to hit Masters on EU and is the premiere Control deck in the game right now. This deck has access to strong openings with Twisted Catalyzer and all of SI’s strong removal spells.

This deck can win in two ways: out valuing the enemy with Senna or destroying the enemy Nexus with leveled Veigar. This deck is great against other Control decks and Aggro.

This deck always wants to mulligan for Twisted Catalyzer, the win rate of this deck is significantly higher when you see this card by turn 2. If you already have him, you can mulligan for more copies or for Stilted Robemaker to buff your Darkness more.

In grindier matchups, Senna is amazing to have, and against Aggro healing such as Go Hard and Vile Feast are must-sees.

Ziggs Gnar Aggro

Deck Code: CQBQEAQDAMCAIAIDAIGCKKAGAUFAOMKJUEA2GANGAEBACAIDB4AQKCVIAEAA

[See Ziggs Gnar Aggro deck details]

Last but not least we have Ziggs Gnar Aggro. A deck that is great at getting fast wins in ranked and is really strong if your opponent’s deck isn’t ready for it. This deck can reap on weak openings but push insane damage and then finish off with burn spells. Gnar is perfect for this deck since he can both push damage and generate Pokey Sticks for burn reach and refuel.

Conclusion

Gnar is leading the pack as the strongest new champ in the game. Gnar puts on the pressure, generates you Pokey Sticks, and is a generic strong level up. This allows him to be splashed in all kinds of decks ranging from Midrange to Aggro. On top of this, Bandle City is the strongest region in the game right now.

Bandle City has a powerful toolbox of card generation, removal, and swarm which leads to it being the most well-rounded region.

Now with Gnar in the mix, the game is centered around himself and this region. Petricite Broadwing is also strong as well as Miss Fortune + Scouts still being a viable strategy. Although Gnar and Bandle City are the focal points of the meta, the meta is still extremely versatile in terms of play patterns.

You can play Control with Darkness, Aggro with Gnar Ziggs, Midrange with Galio or Swain Gnar, and Combo with Lee Sin as well.

The meta so far leaves room for all types of play patterns to exist and I’m excited to see how it develops!

For more decks, head to the Deck Library! To build your own, head to the Deck Builder.

Catch NicMakesPlays live at twitch.tv/nicmakesplays 6PM-1230AM EST

The post The Meta Impact of A Curious Journey (Which Decks Have Risen, Fallen, and Debuted) appeared first on Mobalytics.

Welcome everyone, I’m Jordan “WhatAmI” Abronsona and holy Ionian nonsense Batman, but the format is ridiculously wide right now.

Yes, the elephant in the room is parading around recalling everyone’s stuff and looking unreasonably pleased with itself.

But that deck can be both countered, and, wait for it, banned. This means this might be one of the most varied and balanced formats we’ve had, perhaps literally ever.

This seasonals is going to be insane and I’m here to give you a sneak peek of what that might look like.

Ahri/Kennen

Deck Code: CEDACBACB4AQGBIQAECQUOQDAEBAWDBSAICQEBAHAIBQEBIUAMBAKAQVDIBACARMGEAQEAQFAA

[See Ahri Kennen deck details]

I know, we’re all pretty tired of hearing about this one, but I would be failing in my duties if I did not make sure to include it in the list of top meta decks as the seasonal draws in. You know a deck is good when it can play Sunk Cost and the rest of the engine will carry it to the top of the ladder anyway.

Aggressive Elusive threats backed up by disruption have always been a very solid way to win games. This jumps to another level though as the card draw inherent in Dancing Droplet and Sai’Nen creates more late-game staying power than any archetype like this has ever had before.

I’ve covered this deck’s strengths and weaknesses before in-depth, so I’m not going to go too much into that here. Instead, I’ll just hit on what I find the most important ones are if you are looking to try to counter it.

Number one, all of its units are small, so pings can buy you a lot of time to set up your game plan.

Number two, it doesn’t block very well. Overwhelming early aggression can, but a serious damper on a recall-based decks dreams of doing unreasonable things later in the game.

Scouts

Deck Code: CEDAGAIAAYER2AYCAABAMCQBAUDACAIDAAHACAQGCYAQIAACAMBAEBR2HYAQIAAHAIBAABYJAA

[See Scouts deck details]

The next set of decks we are going to run through are all extremely aggressive in their special ways. First up is going to be the tried and true classic of scouts. Slam a bunch of dudes and dudettes onto the board and inform your opponent they’d better have answers or the game is ending fast.

Better than that though, we manage to combine the power of swarm with a single threat we can protect that will end the game very quickly all on its own. When Miss Fortune levels your opponent is going to be very quickly missing all of the health their nexus once had.

This deck is a good choice to prey on traditional Shadow Isles control decks whose small removal and pings won’t be able to keep up with the level and types of threats you present. Ranger’s Resolving a Withering Wail will never get old.

If you’re looking for solid ways to defend yourself against this degeneracy then anything with Ravenous Flock is a good choice, as it makes keeping key units on the board very difficult. The other solid option is just to play slightly larger Demacia decks like Pantheon or Sivir, trade down, and win later in the game.

Pirates

Deck Code: CECAIAQGCYQCMPAFAEBQEDAPEUUAEAQDAMCACBIGAEBACAIDDEAQEBR6AA

[See Pirates deck details]

Next up are the two premier burn decks of the format. Instead of looking to add resilience to their swarm-based aggression, they simply add finishing power in the form of damage directly to the dome. The old saying continues to be true, “everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face.”

Of the two pirates likes to go a little bit bigger, and is often a very solid choice in formats that have a bunch of small pings running around. They can present early powerful threats while at the same time having very few units that care all that much about taking a single point of damage.

Pirates has shown itself to be quite solid into anyone who gets too greedy. This often includes control decks that tech too much for mirrors or the aforementioned larger Demacia decks. Whenever you get too large there will always be someone around to cut you off at the knees.

This deck’s greatest problems have always come from decks that have board sweepers and life gain to back them up. That means that Shadow Isles Freljord control is your worst nightmare and wants to be banned on site. For swarm-based burn decks Withering Wail and Blighted Ravine are enemy number one.

Spiders

Deck Code: CEBQIAIBAEBRQMQEAECQCFA5FAAQIAIOAIBQCAILCQOQGAIFAMHTCAIBAMCRE

[See Spiders deck details]

If it were possible this deck is, even more, all-in on the burn plan than the one before it. We’re keeping even lower to the ground and throwing in the garbage any units that cost four or more mana. They are simply too slow and we can’t be bothered with them.

Instead, we’re looking to take chunks out of our opponent’s nexus with early fearsome units and then finish the job with burn. While there is still some swarm-style gameplay here, the addition of the evasive keyword of Fearsome gives this deck some extra sticking power.

Whenever small units midrange or control decks are the big cheese, spiders have always loved to come out to play. People who think they will be safe chump blocking with one and two power units are in for a rude surprise and often end up decimated out before they can get over it.

We do unfortunately share the same weaknesses as other burn decks though. Anyone who can sweep us up and pad their health total is going to be feeling pretty good against us. Dodge those Shadow Isles control decks though, find the right greedy midrange decks, and you can have yourself a good time.

Pantheon

Deck Code: CECQGBIJAMCQMBIDBENSGMZ2LQAQGAAOAEAQAGQBAQAAEAYBAEAASAIDBEJQCAQAAEAQCAIAA4

[See Pantheon deck details]

Speaking of greedy midrange this deck has been on the rise in recent weeks and is looking to put up some serious numbers come seasonals time. People can’t seem to quite agree whether Shyvanna or Taric is the best helper to this high rolling handyman, but whatever the splash there is some serious power here.

Solid, well-protected threats, that just keeps getting bigger and bigger thanks to the Fated keyword can be rough to deal with. Add to that the power of Rally, Spell Shield, and Demacian interaction and you’ve got yourself a contender. Sharpsight and Single Combat have always been good, and this deck makes them shine.

Fated deck puts up respectable numbers against top-heavy control while slaughtering other Demacia based midrange decks, as well as most Iceborn Legacy enjoyers. Just being able to go a touch bigger or a touch faster while being hard to effectively interact with gets the job done quite well.

We do still have some hang-ups though. Burn aggro goes often goes under us before we can get properly set up to win the game, and Ahri/Kennen is just awful to try to interact with on the board in the mid game. Anything Ionian, Lee Sin, or even Kindred/Viego, will give our powerful but slightly clunky deck fits.

Sivir

Deck Code: CECQIBAHCQ3GPAQBAEAQACIBAMAA4AIEAABACAQAAEBAGAIAB4NB2BIEA4GV3AABQEAYUAIA

[See Sivir deck details]

Last on the list of solid Demacia players is Sivir/Akshan. This deck has been nerfed and forgotten about more times than any other archetype I can think of that is still kicking around. And trust me when I say a kick it still has.

It follows the same style as Pantheon with a few different tricks. Make solid boards, protect them, interact just a tad, and rally in for the win. We’re just a touch faster and lighter than Pantheon though which has its ups and downs.

That touch significantly helps our more aggressive matchups. Especially if we are willing to slot in Radiant Guardian, a unfavored burn matchup can become even or even slightly favored for us.

We do of course have to give up a bit as well though. We’re going to be unfavored into the greedier Demacia variants of this strategy. Pantheon is a tough card to answer. We also lose a touch against control, though that matchup remains favorable as Sivir provides an impressive amount of pressure.

Lee

Deck Code: CEBQKAYJBENSGM6XAECQEAQDAUDAQCICAEBAYMICAEBQSVIBAUEQMAA

[See Lee deck details]

We’ve been talking a lot about control decks, but we haven’t seen any just yet. First on the list is Lee Sin. Yeah, I know, sneaks his way into every seasonals meta report, doesn’t he? It’s for good reason though, this blind monk has some key things going for him that cement his place in the meta.

Eye of the Dragon is an absolute brick wall. Any aggressively slanted decks trying to force their way through are going to get some serious headaches. Combine that with a boatload of card draw and Deny making other non-Minimorph control matchups favorable, and you’ve got a contender.

Lee likes to prey on the two ends of the spectrum. The glacially slow Shadow Isles decks that aren’t doing much until turn nine or ten have problems answering all its threats. And at the same time trying to burn someone out who is blocking and gaining life every turn is rather difficult.

The ways to beat it often involve going right down the middle. Ahri/Kennen and Sivir are both quite powerful decks that boast impressive winrates in this matchup. Or, of course, you could just play Darkness or Tree and Minimorph Lee every time he dares show his face. Deny this Ionia.

Kindred/Viego

Deck Code: CECAGAIFAEUDCAYBAIGCIMIEAQCQKNJWG4AQEAQFAIAQGAQJAEAQKHIDAECQU5YBAQBAOAIBAUMQ

[See Kindred Viego deck details]

This is a new take this season on the old Thresh/Viego Ionia. Kindred getting a much-deserved buff has put her on the map as the killing machine she was always meant to be. Paired with all the other removal tools at this deck’s disposal keeping threats on the table becomes difficult for a quickly frustrated opponent.

We touched on it earlier but this archetype is set out to, more than anything, give midrange and other control decks fit. We’ve trimmed down quite a lot on traditional control tools to give us access to a veritable boatload of anti-interaction and anti-big-creature tech.

Imagine trying to get a Pantheon or Trundle to wade through this sea of Vengeance, Palm, and Deny. Not to mention that we can simply kill off our units with a Kindred in play to sweep away our opponent’s, regardless of size. If even that’s not enough, leveled Viego will shut down anyone.

The downside here is of course that we have trimmed down on many of the things that traditionally let control beat aggro. If your opponents show up with a burn, scouts, or even something like Sivir you may have problems staying alive long enough for your engines to take over.

FTR

Deck Code: CECQCAIBAMBQCBIBDUUACBABBYBAGAIGCYAQKBIDAMAQIAIKAQAQCDAUE4ZACAIFDEBACAIBAEBQCBIPCMQQ

[See FTR deck details]

The old classic of control, grandfather to all the iterations that came after it, Shadow Isles/Freljord still has a thing or two to teach the whippersnappers. If people get too swarmy, or simply don’t move fast enough, then this deck will clean them right off its lawn into the defeat bin.

FTR keeps it simple and sweet. Everything in this deck is either a removal spell, a stall tactic, or a way to end the game extremely quickly once the late turns roll around. Survive for a little while, then combine a couple of big units with an atrocity and collect your win.

We’re generally happy anytime we see Noxus or PnZ out of our opponents, except for poros. They’ll generally be either slightly smaller than what we’re doing or extremely vulnerable to our powerful sweeping effects coming through to stop their aggression.

On the flipside, Ionia and Demacia can be problematic. When you’re only playing one or two big spells a turn, decks that cheekily cheat by either countering those or attacking when they are not supposed to are rough. Getting Feel the Rush denied is one of the biggest feels-bad moments there is in Legends of Runeterra.

Poros

Deck Code: CECQEAYEBUJAEAIECQWQIAIBAMDBAGIBAQCAOAIFAQGAGAQFAQMBSAIEAEFAEAIEBU2AA

[See Poros deck details]

Wait, did somebody say that poros was a deck? Jordan’s got to be at the bottom of the barrel and meme-ing on us now right? Nope, these fuzzy little troublemakers are finally in a tournament-worthy package and can prove deadly to the unprepared.

All we want to do here is make poros, make them bigger, and then repeat steps one and two till our opponents fall over. That last bit doesn’t tend to take particularly long when you can present boards full of 3|3 Elusive units staggeringly early in the game.

Anyone that moves at all slowly is going to get blasted by these fuzzy critters. They get too big to sweep up, you can’t answer them mana efficiently enough with larger removal, and Elusive units can’t block them well. So what are we to do against the adorable menace?

Well, they don’t defend themselves particularly effectively either. Slam some burn, or get Pantheon ready to attack twice with huge stats and Overwhelm and you’ll likely be set to go. This deck also occasionally simply won’t draw its pieces and loses to itself, but we’ve seen top-level decks overcome that before.

Darkness

Deck Code: CECACAYFCACQKCRRLVPGFJQBAEAQKKADAUCQQCIOAIBAKCQ2YYAQGAIFAEJR2AA

[See Darkness deck details]

It’s been a hot topic of debate among the community for quite a while now whether Darkness is a good deck, or just an interesting tournament pick depending on the meta. I think at this point I am coming down on the side of a good deck, if only because it can be teched so many ways.

My current version is playing all the pings in the world and has cut down quite a bit on heavier removal spells and protection for its champions. But if you want to look into beating other matchups Catalogue, Go Hard, Group Shot, and even Box and Hidden Pathways are all swing slots.

This version is hard targeting Ahri/Kennen and other small-dude aggro decks, and should crush them. Even if the Ahri player is going to draw twenty cards later in the game, all you need to do is buy time to set up Veigar, and you can do that just fine.

We will often be a bit unhappy to see decks that rely on larger units to get the job done though. Pantheon, Lee, and FTR are all quite frightening. That said, sometimes a Veigar will go unanswered and you’ll just accidentally win the game anyway. Seven-point darkness to the face anyone?

Twisted Fish

Deck Code: CEDAIAYEAUGREGIDAECACEBUAIBAMGRLAECAIBYBAUDAKAIDAYIQEAIBAQTQCBIGBMAA

[See Twisted Fish deck details]

Last but not least on my list of decks to look out for in this seasonal tourney is a favorite of mine that popped onto all of our radar quite recently. If anyone remembers TF/Fizz this is the saner more reasonable version of that deck that still gets to do some pretty stupid things.

With your god-draw hands, you can have Twisted Fate flipped on turn five, or simply be presenting Elusive lethal with an unreasonable amount of spells and an early Nami flip courtesy of Flash of Brilliance. Even when it plays a tad saner though it’s a solid tempo deck with a bunch of card draw and good burn reach.

We’re always going to be looking for decks that don’t interact with us well to play against. If we level a champion early then we will simply run away with the game faster than almost anyone else can follow.

The hard matchups here are primarily going to be people who have lots of interaction to deal with the few units that make our deck function. We’ll also occasionally run into some problems with extremely aggressive burn decks.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask WhatAmI during his streams (Tuesday-Thursday around 3PM PST and weekends for tournaments).

WhatAmI streams at twitch.tv/xxwhatamixx Tuesday-Thursday

The post Magic Misadventures Seasonal Tournament Meta Preview (12 Decks) appeared first on Mobalytics.

Well, that was fast. One week into the new expansion and Riot drops a surprise emergency balance patch. It turns out the yordles were as problematic as expected, so forget January, things are changing now!

Poppy has finally taken a huge hit, along with the borderline oppressive newcomer; Kennen Ezreal. Our prayers have been heard and now we can move forward. But where do we go from here?

It’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and today we’re looking at some stats to see what’s working so far.

While things will likely change as we discover the new meta, use this as a starting point if you’re unsure where to begin!

Note: We’ll be looking at decks currently at a 55%+ win rate in Platinum+. Given our small sample size, be sure to take the numbers with a grain of salt.

1. Thralls

Code Deck: CEBQIBABAECQUDQEAQDR6LCCJEBACAIUGIBAGBAHBURHQAQEAEEQWAA

[See Thralls deck details]

Starting off we’ve got a classic Thralls list. There’s not really anything new here, but this tried and true crushing combo is still performing at a solid 59.2% win rate. Considering the RNG and play patterns that can occur with the deck, that’s pretty good!

Being combo-oriented allows this deck to focus on its own game plan above all else. When it comes to a fresh meta, it’s often best to be proactive until things settle. The patch certainly didn’t harm the deck, so it makes sense to be seeing it here.

2. Lurk

Deck Code: CEBAKBAGAEBQKBYPBACAOAITCY3ECRCKKAAACAIEAYCA

[See Lurk deck details]

Remember what everyone did during the last expansion? That’s right, we jammed some Lurkers together and called it a day. But who could blame us? 56.3% isn’t half bad for a deck we’ve all played against numerous times.

The list is identical and for fair reason. There’s not much to change when the goal is to maintain better Lurk odds. If you’ve been climbing sluggishly, it wouldn’t hurt to roll with Rek’Sai. At the very least, the games will be fast!

3. Poke City

Deck Code: CEBQMAQGAQNCALJ2HQCAKCQHIVE2MAIBAUDACAQBAIDB6AIFBINACAYCAYBBEFA

[See Poke City deck details]

Poke City continues to be a go-to in the early days of ladder. Despite the minor nerf to Gangplank, the deck continues to pile on the pressure. It’s a deck full of interaction which allows for more outplay opportunities, while still functioning like a burn deck. TF GP is currently rocking a 63.9% win rate which goes to show its consistent strength in unsettled metagames.

4. Gangplank Sejuani

Deck Code: CEBQOAQGBMKCAIJNHI6ACBAGBIAQEAICAMCAEBQCCIRCMAIDAYEACBIGAEAQCAYBCY

[See Gangplank Sejuani deck details]

Speaking of Gangplank, Gangplank Sejuani remains the consistent force that it has been. Minus one health isn’t going to prevent the fact that these two champs ALWAYS flip. It’s strong on the curve and boasts punishing interaction with its 65.4% win rate. And don’t forget, they play with your cards too!

5. Taric Pantheon

Deck Code: CECQGBIJAMCQMAQBAAERUAYDBENSGOQBAMAA4AIEAABAIAIDBFOACBIJBAAQEAABAEBQABQCAECQSCQBAEABK

[See Taric Pantheon deck details]

Alright, finally a newer deck is ready to take the spotlight. Taric Pantheon had a decent initial week one showing, but Kennen Ezreal was always there to shut it down. The constant stuns and recalls gave the deck a really difficult time… But that’s about to change!

Taric Pantheon takes the lead with a huge 72.4% win rate! With Kennen Ezreal taking a huge hit, the deck’s become far less prevalent. We’ll have to see just how things shape up as players adjust their lists and play patterns accordingly. Regardless, Taric Pantheon looks to be in a great spot for the near future!

6. Sion Discard

Deck Code: CECAIAIEEYTS2NABAQCBAAYFAMAQSDIBAEBRIBABAMCBEAICAMEQCBIDAYAQGAYPAQAQKAYEAEAQIAICAEBS4MYBAUFJQAI

[See Sion Discard deck details]

Once again on the list of tried and true, we’ve got Sion. The nerf to Poppy put Bandle City as a region on the decline, which means we’re seeing less Minimorph. That’s a big plus for a deck that wants to close the game with a huge Overwhelm swing.

It looks like Ravenous Flocks have made their way back into the list to give the deck more interaction. Its play patterns are still undoubtedly strong as shown by its 69% win rate. Did we forget Lost Soul is a card?

7. Caitlyn Ezreal

Deck Code: CEDACAQDBEBACAZOG4BACBBEGQBQKBAGBEGACBIKTAAQCAYECECAEAIEDMPQCBIEBUAQGAYNAEAQGMYA

[See Caitlyn Ezreal deck details]

A bit of a newcomer to enter the scene, it’s Caitlyn Ezreal. We’ve seen similar lists in the past come along to combat the nerfs to old Ezreal Draven. Caitlyn fills the role of a 3|3 Quick Attack for three, plus her Flash Bombs are quite useful. There’s a decent amount of targets we can hit, but more importantly, it helps set up Flocks and Scorched Earth.

Overall, it’s the classic PnZ Nox Tri-Beam deck. It’s currently holding a solid 65.2% win rate, so if you’re a fan of Ezreal Draven, this may be a deck worth trying.

8. Lee Zoe

Deck Code: CECAKAYJBENSGM6XAEBQEAQDAYEACAICBQAQKCIGAMAQGAQUAECQSCACAIBAKCICAEBQSVIBAEBDC

[See Lee Zoe deck details]

Lee Zoe got a huge buff since the latest expansion. It turns out Wounded Whiteflame is busted in more decks than just one, who’da thought?

Jokes aside, Wounded Whiteflame gives Lee the early to mid game stabilizer is always needed. Not only does it have Eye of the Dragon, but now it can outright build a threat from the get-go. That’s on top of the OTK potential the deck always had. Zenith Blade just became insane with its new perfect target.

While 60.9% isn’t quite as high a win rate as some others, that’s accounting for all its pilots. If there’s ever a deck with an incredibly high-skill cap, it’s Lee Sin. Put in the practice and this deck will work wonders for you!

9. Kennen Ezreal

Deck Code: CEDACBACB4AQKCR2AMAQECYMGIBQEAQDAUFACAIEEQAQKAQVAMBACARMGEBAGAQFCQAQEAQJAA

[See Kennen Ezreal deck details]

Alas, here we are, back to Kennen Ezreal. It frankly just made the cutoff by holding up a 55% win rate. Considering this is another high-skill cap deck that just took a major hit, it’s still showing some real potential.

It may take some time for us to discover the next best iteration. Since Kinkou Wayfinder can only pull one Kennen, there’s a chance we’re better off recalling another unit five times instead. Dancing Droplet is the obvious fit and does offer some new play patterns to the deck.

Enjoy the fact that there will be far fewer auto-win Kennen hands, but we’re far from writing the deck off completely.

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

Roadblocks may slow us down, but there’s always a path forward. Sometimes we just have to sidestep a bit to find it.

For more Magic Misadventures decks, head to the Deck Library! To build your own, head to the Deck Builder.

The post 9 Decks That Are Shining After The Magic Misadventures Hotfix appeared first on Mobalytics.

You know what really grinds my gears? A lack of motor oil.

But what occasionally irritates me is the dialogue around “try harding” or “net decking” versus “innovating.”

I know the real answer is just to stay off Twitter, but being who I am, I can’t help but try to solve the problem at least a bit.

I’m Jordan, “WhatAmI” Abronson, and I don’t think that most people really understand what innovation is or how to go about it.

So today I’d like to take some time to discuss conception versus reality and give people some tips on how to do it effectively.

What is innovation?

Most folks who are against “try-harding,” and “net decking,” look at innovation as the process of making something new. Or perhaps, more importantly, making something yourself instead of taking ideas from others.

If I ask a dictionary though, it will helpfully inform me that the first definition of innovation is “To make changes in something established.” This is because mostly, either in Runeterra or life, whatever you want to do has been done before by someone.

Shakespeare said, “there was nothing new under the sun” and I’m sure that I’ve heard something similar about the decks of a certain Mr. Mogwai. So since generally, our goal is to do the coolest and most powerful things possible, we start from someone else’s idea that is close to our own and build from there.

I cannot count the number of times I have heard something along the lines of “That’s not innovative, just a net deck that changed two cards.” We can have an entirely separate argument some other day about the goods/ills of net decking, but that is literally the definition of innovation there.

While new ideas built from the ground up are cool and all, and do occasionally happen, they are exceedingly rare. Saying the only reasonable decks to play are things you made completely yourself is ridiculous in the extreme. To paraphrase, “We live in a metagame.”

How can we become innovators?

So, some small amount of hopefully excusable ranting aside, I’d like to get to today’s main topic. If we do want to try to be innovators, how do we do it? Well for me, as most things do, this will always come down to defining our win conditions.

Deckbuilding, in general, is such a cool concept to me because at every card change you have to ask yourself “What does this do better and what does it do worse.” This is the key starting point for, in my opinion, basically all varieties of deck innovation.

This is a bit simplified, but I think most examples will or should eventually fall into something that looks an awful lot like this four-question process.

1. What do we want to do?
2. How can we do it?
3. What did this cost us?
4. Was it worth it?

Step 1: What do we want to do?

Alright, so there is also a secret step zero in there that asks the question, where do we start? Sometimes the answer is nowhere and we make it all ourselves. Usually, though you have a favored deck you are already playing you are trying to make better, or something that is almost there that just needs a tweak or two.

For this example process, I will use my seasonal work on Akshan/Sivir Demacia. So that’s our step zero. What I wanted was to take this deck that was powerful in many other facets, and finds a way for it to beat Sion lineups.

Deck code: CECAGAIABEHR2BIEA4GRINTHQIAQCAYABYAQEAABAMBQIB25QAAYUAIBAEAAMAIEAABAA

[See Akshan Sivir Demacia deck details]

Now, trying to bulldog our way into a good Sion matchup would require changing the deck so completely we might as well start from a different point. So instead we can focus on what people were bringing alongside Sion.

The four most common decks that Sion was accompanied by at the time were Ping City, Bandle Burn, Plunder, and Lee. Our starting point had us pretty solid into Lee, but feeling kind of bad into the rest, so now we’ve got a goal.

Step 2: How can we do it?

My first thought when looking at this problem was that the answer was more one and two drops. Beef up the consistency of the deck so it can trade well in the early game. This will let us deny plunder triggers and keep our life total stable so our more powerful finishers can take over in the mid-game turns.

The issue with that plan was that I was already playing a deck that ran out of gas unfortunately quickly betimes. Leaning into that harder meant that I was actually losing consistency in much of my game plan. So that clearly wasn’t the answer. Where then to turn?

Well, the other thing these decks have in common is that they like to do damage in many smallish chunks, and often look for ways to come up with burn lethal to finish out games. What is good against both of those game plans? Tough and Lifesteal. Enter Radiant Guardian stage left.

Radiant, it turned out, was a very good answer to these problems. Shrugging off pings, being an amazing pump or combat spell target, and generally wrecking my target’s gameplans. We could even consistently trigger her off of Waking Sands, something I didn’t realize when I first thought of the idea.

Step 3: What did it cost us?

I knew that three Radiant Guardian would significantly swing the matchups I wanted to swing, but those were slots that other cards were in, right?

So, what was I giving up to get access to this powerful tool?

The answer was the brutal efficiency of the other five drop units that could take that slot. Mainly Screeching Dragon, Vekauren Bruiser, or Ruin Runner.

This translated directly to a small but noticeable dip in the percentage points we gained against other non-ping midrange decks and control.

Step 4: Was it worth it?

This can be the hardest one, especially mentally. Because if you’ve made a cool change that feels like it should be good and just isn’t quite doing enough, it’s hard to be willing to set it aside. Objectivity, and being willing to edit our own creations is one of the toughest challenges any innovator can face.

In this case, the answer was yes, for that specific tournament. Burn decks showed up in absolute droves and the tech saved me any number of times. However, I failed to re-evaluate between there and the top 32 of that seasonal, kept the Radiant Guardian tech in, and that as well as a splash of unfortunate luck led to my swift exit from that bracket.

This leads us to the secret step five, just as important as step zero. And it’s this step that makes me question why so-called “net decking,” is a bad thing in the first place.

The Wheel Keeps Turning

What’s on top yesterday may slip. A new threat may arise. In the absolute best-case scenario what happens is that you really did break the format and now you’re the top dog. Now you have to change things up simply because people are beginning to specifically target the strategies you put into practice.

If I make a crazy new innovation and win with it for a couple of weeks without changing, suddenly I’m in the past. People are smart. They will catch up. They will target you and find ways around you. That’s the most fun part of this crazy shifting game.

No one can innovate every moment of every day. Not me, not Mogwai, not nobody.

So while innovation is an amazing and fun thing to do, maybe if we’re all going to be behind the curve at some point, we can also stop hating on people who just want to play what looks good and fun to them instead of trying to run on this ever-moving treadmill we call a metagame.

Just food for thought.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to ask WhatAmI during his streams (around 10AM PST basically every day).

WhatAmI streams at twitch.tv/xxwhatamixx around 10AM PST every day

The post A Lesson in Innovation For Legends of Runeterra appeared first on Mobalytics.

Every time I kick up my stream I get asked some variation of, “Hey Mr. Strimmer, What’s the best deck to climb ladder with right now?”.

I’m Jordan “WhatAmI” Abronson, and I may not have a full tier list for you, but I’ve got a solid set of decks that you can bring to ladder.

For each one, we’ll talk through its basic game plan, its strengths, weaknesses, and then some specific other deck concepts to bring if you want to counter it.

So kick back with me and let’s see who the winners of the last set of patch notes are turning out to be.

Dragons

Deck Code: CECQEBAABYKAIAYAAYEAWDQFAMEQGDRZK5SACAIADIAQEAABAAAQCAIAA4

[See Dragons deck details]

This was a lot of people’s day one deck when they saw the buffs and I do not blame them. We’ve seen it calm down a bit as the meta adapts but this one is still a contender.

It might not be exactly fancy, but whether it is turn three Shyvanna, turn seven Aurelion Sol, or just the aggro crushing combination of Solari Sunforger and Single Combat, the raw power cannot be denied.

We do have some consistency issues. There are plenty of times where we can brick our in the first four to five turns and just have to sit and watch while our opponent kills us.

If you’re looking to counter the lizardy menace then the two best directions to turn both have an aggressive lean to take advantage of those early game stumbles.

First on the list is good old spider aggro. The numbers simply do not lie. Spiders take down almost 70% of games against the slow-moving power of the dragon menace.

The second of course is…

Lurk

Deck Code: CEBAKBAGAEBQKBYPA4CAOAITCZAUISSQAEBAIBZWIUAA

[See Lurk deck details]

While Lurk has always had a few staunch advocates, it’s been a while since it was a significant portion of the metagame. Now in showing up to prey on the slower unit-based midrange and control decks it is claiming center stage.

This deck is often denigrated as a “Slam your units forward and hope you hit,” deck, but that is far from the truth.

The play patterns involved are pretty impressively complex, and whether you are the control deck or the aggro deck changes repeatedly based on matchup and game state.

Also, no one seems to be able to agree on the right build of this deck. Bloodbait, Rite of Negation, Bone Skewer, and even occasionally Preservarium have made appearances.

This is my favorite, as I love early Rek’Sai levels, but I am by no means an expert.

I’ve talked a bit with some of my local Lurk experts, and they are sufficiently confident in certain matchups I originally felt were favored that I hesitate to give too many direct counters.

However, there’s one that I’m sure of and the Lurkers out there seem to grudgingly agree on.

Presenting…

Sion

Deck Code: CECAGAIEE4WTIAIEAQIAGBIDAEEQ2AIBAMKAIAIDAQJACAIDB4BAKAYEAYBACBABEYBAGAIDBMRTGAIDAMHQ

[See Sion deck details]

Sometimes you just can’t keep a good man down or in this case a bad one dead. Sion and his pals got a veritable cornucopia of nerfs, but they are still ready to come out swinging.

Tiny unit aggro decks fold and falter as the board trades down and your late-game units clean everything up.

Even some midrange or control decks can have issues dealing with the unending value, stream of fearsome attackers, and game endingly powerful suite of burn spells.

What the nerfs have accomplished thankfully is that this deck has real counters now.

Solid hardcore control decks packing quick ways to end the game such as Darkness or Bandle Tree feel very solid into the overwhelming menace.

But above them all, if you want to drop the hammer down on this archetype there is simply one place to turn…

Lee Sin

Deck Code: CEBQMAYJBENSGM3A24AQKAQCAMCQMCAJAIAQEDBRAAAQCAYCCQ

[See Lee Sin deck details]

This deck or some variation on it has been around since almost as far back as most Runeterra players can remember.

It has a simple powerful game plan of building a wall, preventing interaction with the said wall, and then kicking its opponents straight into orbit.

When that doesn’t work Zoe level can take games down just fine, and the newly buffed Solari Priestess jumps in to add to the pile of win conditions.

This may occasionally be the most frustrating deck to play against as either aggro or control.

Your swarms of little minions get stopped dead by Dragonlings. Sion gets Stunned, or even Comet-ed.

Every time you try to kill Lee or even Zoe there’s a Twin Discipline or Deny standing in the way laughing. So what’re we to do against this menace? Is this the new tier zero?

I’m not ready to call it that quite yet. Proponents of Lurk as shown above have had some modest success in pressuring down the blind monk before he gets rolling, or Jaul Fishing his later game attempts.

Dragons can give him a run for his money, and the next one on the list does pretty well as well. Presenting…

Radiant Sivir

Deck Code: CECAKBAHBUKDMZ4CAEAQCAAJAEBQADQBAIAACAYDAEAAMDY5AQCAOXMAAGAQDCQBAECAAAQA

[See Radiant Sivir deck details]

Some variation of Sivir has been able to hold a place near the top of the metagame ever since the set of buffs that put her on our radar in the first place.

This one, in particular, takes advantage of recent tech Radiant Guardian and the buff to Vanguard Sergeant to deal with early aggression.

After that, the suite of buffs, removal, and dangerous combo turns to make this one of the hardest to play but most rewarding decks currently available. It brings the hammer down on combo decks and makes control’s life extremely difficult.

As the old villains come out to play though, their old counters will rise along with them.

This next deck is one that was originally created because of the prevalence of Sivir decks, and still specializes quite nicely in shutting down their nonsense…

Plunder

Deck Code: CECAMAQGBMQCCLJ2HQAQGBQIAECAMCQBAIAQEAIGAIDAEBISCQRCMAIBAMARM

[See Plunder deck details]

This is another one that combines early and midgame pressure with a devastating late-game engine to put the hurt on many other midrange decks.

Whatever you think you are trying to accomplish, a leveled Sejuani backed up by a Warning Shot is very likely to make you think again.

Gangplank also allows some pretty unreasonable high roll potential, sometimes swinging in leveled on five, while combo-ing with Dreadway later to destroy stalled boards. Add a bit of interaction and the ability to steal your opponent’s best tools and you’ve got yourself a solid deck.

This one can have issues with some of the scarier ones near the top of this article. Dragons can simply playthings that are too large too fast for you to reliably answer, and unless you have exactly leveled Sejuani on time Lee Sin can be pretty hard to answer.

Conclusion

Round and round and round we go, when we’ll stop, no one knows. The metagame is always moving and turning.

I haven’t even been able to touch on some new powerful innovations such as Glorious Evolution Shellfolk or Bandle City Teemo/Sejuani in the time I have here.

That said these six feel like they are very solid places to start if you are looking to climb ladder, or build a lineup for a tournament.

Best of luck to everyone and as always I will see you out there on the ladder.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to ask WhatAmI during his streams (around 10AM PST basically every day).

WhatAmI streams at twitch.tv/xxwhatamixx around 10AM PST every day

The post Top Dogs of the Post-Bandlewood Balance Patch Meta (And Their Counters) appeared first on Mobalytics.

I know I’ve been beating this old drum for more than a year now, but I thought maybe if I put some more detailed thought into it then maybe the rhythm will finally get through.

Welcome everyone, I’m Jordan “WhatAmI” Abronson, and today I want to talk about Runeterra’s, and perhaps card games, in general, most controversial topic, aggro decks.

Let’s dive in.

The Debate Begins

This all starts at the beginning where someone plays against a deck that simply wants to kill them and successfully executes that strategy.

Then they say, “Wow, what a braindead game that was, my five-year-old could have beat me there.” After that everyone piles on so quickly that all we need to do is shoot Franz Ferdinand and we could kick off World War Two all over again.

But why this reaction to something that is clearly operating under one of the most important tenants of the game?

It’s right there in the loading screen hints, reduce your opponent’s Nexus to zero. Boom, did it, victory.

Well, to explain, and hopefully to prove that if I am taking a side here it is the side of “This is quite silly and you should all quit it,” let me reveal the other side of the coin.

A little-known but important secret I’ll share, there are plenty of people who think control decks are way worse than aggro.

Wait, do we hate everyone now?

Well, kind of. Does anybody remember the patches when Braum, Lissandra, Anivia, or Trundle were at the height of their power?

How absolutely soul-crushing it could feel to realize that no matter what you did you were always running into something or other and there was no hope?

How about all those angered cries of “How easy is it to play these zero-head control decks, just remove everything in play and bother to find a win condition later?”

Because for all y’all out there who are new to Runeterra, or have short memories, I remember those days.

So if depending on what is strong the community has turned the flame of hate on aggro or control then what can you play and not be called names for it? Midrange or combo perhaps?

Those definitely have high skill caps and everyone has to recognize that right? Nah, that would be almost illegally reasonable.

At the heights of their domination, Nasus, and more recently Nami, have been railed as being moronic decks where all you need to do is slam your cards down one after the other and watch your opponent fold under the oppressive power.

Is it just power level then?

That is definitely the pattern that we are starting to see, but we’re not quite to the meat of the issue just yet.

I think if we say something as simple as “people hate whatever decks are the strongest and will insult those who play them,” we won’t necessarily be wrong but we will be addressing a symptom rather than the problem.

Because if it were just that then we would see all types of deck suffer lambasting equally based on whoever was at the top just now.

And this clearly isn’t so, no matter who else is crushing the competition, aggro will always also get its share of hate.

We saw this during the TF/Fizz meta where the only real answer to the juggernaut was to embrace the burning spidery goodness.

Even at that moment, the players who accepted this and adapted were still targeted by the slings and arrows of their fellow Runeterrans.

So then what is it?

Where is the fun?

It sounds so simple but it gets overlooked. This game we all love and enjoy playing together? It’s a game.

As in it is primarily there for people to have fun with. And win or lose people have more fun when they get to do what they built their deck to do.

Then when their opponent won’t let them do that, whether by shutting it down at every moment or simply killing them on turn five, that triggers an emotional response and they want to think badly of that opponent.

Then the name-calling and deck shaming begins and it’s all downhill from there.

So if what’s really going on here is a subjective emotional response to being denied access to what we want, and the data does seem to bear that out, then maybe trying to hurt people who are just playing their fun version of the game might not be the answer.

A controversial opinion I know, but there it is.

The Data

“But wait Jordan,” you might say, “What data? All we’ve talked about so far is some history of the game and your subjective takes on why said history has occurred. That’s not data.”

Well, I think that’s arguable, it’s just qualitative data rather than quantitative. But if you want to drill in to the hard math of it, I can prove my point there too. The base argument here is “Aggro decks take less skill to pilot than other types of decks.” That gets expanded to attacking aggro players, but maybe if I can dismantle the beginning, we can stop the end.

How would we do that though? What could you do to prove what decks have higher skill caps than others? Isn’t that all just subjective too? Luckily for me, my points, and this article, the answer to that question is no, not in the least.

The best way I’ve found to determine deck play skills is as follows.

Compare the average win rate of the deck when piloted by masters players, to the average win rate of the deck when piloted by its top players with sufficient sample size. The difference between those two percentages is what I like to call the skill gap.

Luckily for me, someone did a whole bunch of comparisons on the top meta decks in the last month or two.

They focused in specifically on identifying those win percentages and skill gaps using all the ladder data they could find. And at the end of all that, you know what the numbers say the highest skill gap deck is?

It’s not the Lee Sin combo, with all its intricate spells and interactions.

Not Feel the Rush control, trying to find the optimal passes and lines to lock down the game. It’s not even Sion midrange, making every synergy point work in its favor till it overwhelms you with value and power.

Nope, the deck with the highest skill gap is good old Lulu Zed, dropping their units onto the board one at a time. Throwing those buffs down, rallying away, and destroying their opponent’s nexus. It kind of makes you think, huh?

Conclusion

I know that no matter what I say there will always be toxicity out in the world. People are going to find whatever reasons they want to champion their pet causes or hate what they want to hate.

All I can really hope for is that if I debunk some of the more commonly held toxic beliefs that the community I love can try to come together just a little bit more instead of tearing each other down.

And hey, for all y’all who come to these articles for competitive tips and don’t really care about the moral aspect or any of that silliness, here’s a parting thought for you too.

There are plenty of metagames where aggro is an extremely powerful call and gets overlooked by otherwise top-level players because they feel they would be lowering themselves to design to play it.

That’s a huge hole in any player’s competitive ability if swaths of the game are barred to them but not their opponent’s, eh?

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to ask WhatAmI during his streams (around 10AM PST basically every day).

WhatAmI streams at twitch.tv/xxwhatamixx around 10AM PST every day

The post How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Burn appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hey, everyone NicMakesPlays here!

We’re due for a big balance patch sometime soon, so today I’m going to cover my personal wishlist.

For nerfs, I’ll be discussing Nami, Lost Soul, Poppy Bandle City Mayor, and Aloof Travelers. There are also two cards I have classified as “optional nerfs” – Eye of the Dragon and Ravenous Flock.

For buffs, we’ll take a look at Herald of the Dragons, Nocturne, Diane, Stalking Shadows, The Fangs, Kindred, Lux, and Katarina.

If you disagree with my suggestions or think I missed some cards, let me know in the comments!

To start off, let’s dive into the nerfs.

Nerfs

Nami

Nami is a bit too powerful when drawn in the Nami Zoe deck. She often wins the game on the spot since she’s hard to remove early in the game.

Even when removed she usually trades well with the removal or has a ton of protection via Sunblessed Vigor, Pale Cascade, and Guiding Touch.

I would make her level condition go up to 9 to make her take longer to level.

Now you can’t pass the first few turns and play a leveled Nami on turn 4.

Lost Soul

This card gets a bit too much value since you can summon it over and over again to grind the rest of the game.

I would make it a 3|3 so the value you get overtime is diminished and it doesn’t trade as well.

Poppy

It’s not a surprise that Poppy is one of the best performing cards in the game right now and enables tons of tier 1 decks.

I would make it so Poppy only buffed the allies that attack with her, so your backrow units don’t gain tons of stats as well.

Bandle City Mayor

The value Bandle City Mayor gives you is a bit out of control since it gives you a free card along with tempo for the rest of the game.

I would make it so it only discounts the first multi-region unit you play each round.

Aloof Travelers

Aloof Travelers gives a ton of card advantage since you draw extra cards and your opponent loses one. I would make it so this card is a 3/3 so it is more of a commitment to play for tempo.

Buffs

Herald of the Dragons

Dragons have been significantly nerfed due to their rough matchups against the new cards, as well as overall being power-creeped.

of the Dragons being a 1|2 would be a slight buff and allow them to potentially have somewhat powerful openings.

This could give them a chance to be higher tier 3 deck or even tier 2.

Nocturne

Nightfall is one of the most well-received decks in the game and a fan favorite of many.

Currently, the deck is low tier 3 and in one of the weakest states, it’s ever been.

On top of this Nocturne is one of the weakest Champs in the game right now.

Nocturne giving an enemy Vulnerable and all enemies 1-0 on play for his level 2 form(like his level 1 form does) would be a nice buff.

Diana

Another nice quality of life buff for Nightfall would be making it so she gains Challenger on level up.

Currently, you have to level her up and then use another Nightfall effect for her to gain Challenger for the turn.

This makes it so Nightfall often falls short of getting this effect off – it would be a nice buff to Diana and the archetype.

Stalking Shadows

A lot of people, including myself, were surprised this was nerfed.

At the time of the nerf, the top Shadow Isles decks weren’t playing it (Nasus Thresh) as well as it being a good card for the game.

It enables a lot of homebrew archetypes and is fair for a 2 mana card because it doesn’t affect the board and gives an ephemeral copy.

I think this is the exact type of card you want to be good for your game. I would revert Stalking Shadows to 2 mana.

The Fangs

Targon is in a weak spot right now and with the Serpent being a 1|1, The Fangs can be a 3|2.

The Serpent can’t go back to being a 1|1 because you can get it off Loping Telescope and it’s powerful with Poppy.

So with that being said, I think buffing The Fangs to a 3|2 is the right way to buff Targon.

Kindred

Kindred is another fan favorite and is one of the weakest cChamps in the game.

They are afraid of buffing Kindred because if they were better they would be too good of a backrow cChamp, which I understand.

That being said, I think giving Kindred one more health would make them viable but reasonable.

This allows Kindred to survive cards such as Ravenous Flock, Black Spear, and Screeching Dragon among other things.

Lux

Lux is a hard one because if she costs too low with Barrier she may be too good.

She would have to be reworked or her support could be buffed.

I’m not sure what I would propose for her specifically but she definitely needs to be looked at.

Katarina

I think Katarina needs a full-on rework to be viable. She’s been one of the worst if not the worst Champ since Legends of Runeterra’s release.

She really has no home or deck that fits her well. The fact that she self recalls makes you lose a ton of tempo by playing her.

She either needs a rework to remove this or a bigger payoff when resummoned.

An interesting idea that Rubin Zoo, one of the devs had, was to make her level 2 form say “Damaged units can’t block.”

I think that would make her interesting and it is a change I would love to see.

Optional Nerfs

Eye of the Dragon

This is one of the most polarizing cards in the game and is extremely overturned for its cost.

Eye of the Dragon is a net 1 mana card that is a 1|3 and summons 2|1’s with lifesteal the rest of the game.

This stops any deck that wants to attack outright or is just straight up a 1 mana auto-win a lot of the time.

The decks that run this card are also packed with protection and if you even can try and remove it you usually trade down in mana.

The reason this card has dodged nerfs for so long is that it was assumed the decks like Lee Sin and Ez Karma needed the extra attune to help in the early game.

I don’t think this is the case anymore with Lee Sin/Ez Karma being tier 1 for multiple formats and even being one of the best decks in the game to perform at Seasonals this last weekend.

I would remove Attune to balance the card so it is a bit more reasonable for its cost.

Ravenous Flock

Ravenous Flock is one of the most game-defining cards in the game and a lot of Runeterra revolves around it.

A lot of champs and decks in Runeterra lack viability due to being easily killed by Ravenous Flock. Cards like Garen, Kindred, and Renekton are 4+ mana cards that just die to a 1 mana spell.

This makes them extremely risky to play and often game losing when this happens.

Each season a lot of the meta is defined by Ravenous Flock decks being tier 1, while other archetypes fade into lesser viability due to the sheer power of this card.

Ravenous Flock should deal 3 damage since it would still be an insanely powerful card for its cost but more reasonable.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to ask NicMakesPlays during his streams (usually 6PM-1230AM EST).

Catch NicMakesPlays live at twitch.tv/nicmakesplays 6PM-1230AM EST

The post NicMakesPlays’s Legends of Runeterra Beyond the Bandlewood Balance Wishlist appeared first on Mobalytics.