We’ve just concluded the latest seasonals and you know what that means.

Expansion time! It’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and I’ve returned with another top 10 list!

• Once again, allow me to drop the usual few disclaimers.
• These cards are in no particular order.
• No Champions, as they are the obvious place to start with when deck building.

This list isn’t solely based on power and playability. You don’t need me to tell you that a one mana 2|2 with upside is a good card. So instead we’ll focus on the more juicy stuff.

The real potential powerhouses and crazy designs!

I’ll be honest, the majority of this list will be spells, but you just gotta go with the flow. Alright, let’s get started… Drumroll, please!

Drum Solo

This is a pretty big deal for PnZ. All this time the region’s card draw options have been limited to either cantrips, symmetrical draw, discard draw, or expensive burst draw. While they all have their merits, they do require the right synergy to be effective.

Drum Solo is a straight-up card-draw. Five for two isn’t a fantastic rate, but it’s made up by the cost reduction so long as you can enable Flow.

Now, of course, you can whiff and hit 0-1 mana spells; minimizing value. However, being able to pull anything from your deck at a reduced cost could be a real game changer. There are no restrictions here, not just spells, units, or non-champions.. It’s simply draw-two.

Perhaps we’re about to see old Fizz TF make a return? If there’s a deck that loves card draw, it’s that one.. And it’s getting another spicy card as well..

Fish Fight

While a Slow speed Single Combat is a little on the weak side, a one-sided slap to the opponent’s unit is incredible! This does require some specific building, but if we can figure out an efficient list, Fish Fight will be an absolute all-star.

Even its drawback of returning the weapon to hand can be a good thing. There are times we’d rather move the equipment from one unit to another, but in order to do that, the host unit either needs to die, or we have to spend extra mana to equip it with something else.

Honestly, even in the worst case, Slow speed Single Combat is still pretty okay. I imagine this will be a Demacia staple moving forward, so long as equipment becomes a mainstay.

The Expanse’s Protection

This is Bastion for two mana. It may not give stats, and the effect may be temporary, but nine times out of ten, it’s a two-mana Bastion.

More often than not Bastion is used as a reactive protection spell. The opponent casts Vengeance? Bastion. Our unit’s about to get bounced by Homecoming? Bastion. While there are a few niche scenarios when this isn’t the case, they are far and few between.

If we ever see Lee Zoe make a return, The Expanse’s Protection becomes incredibly mana-efficient insurance. And what does it cost? Put Hookmaster into the deck. That’s it.

Of course, this won’t be the case for all region combinations, but Targon is already in a decent spot as far as equipment goes. Lodestone and Wandering Shepherd are both solid options and easily splashable. Be on the lookout for this one!

The Darkin Aegis/Joraal

Oh, man… As a baseline weapon, this card is already in a good spot. Granting +1|+1 and tough is already solid and will make combat a lot harder for the opponent. But that’s not all…

The backside of this card is our cheapest Darkin yet, and it’s a real punisher! Joraal is going to cause nightmares for spell-based decks, while also picking off enemy units. Thankfully the tax window only applies during combat, though it will make it more difficult to abuse spells like Recall and Homecoming.

We already know Demacia’s getting a big push towards playing equipment this patch, and this seems like a no-brainer inclusion. Overall this looks super solid and likely will become another Demacia staple.

Opulent Foyer

I really like the design of this landmark. Three mana is about the limit we can afford to play without falling too far behind, but what really makes this great is it guarantees a unit on summoning.

Ephemerals make for excellent deterrents, as there’s often no reason for the opponent to attack a unit that’s already going to die unless they have multiple attackers. And in that case, we get a free block on either the most threatening target or a free favorable trade.

This also gives us a repeatable way to build up Hallowed triggers. With its effect triggering upon gaining the attack token, it synergizes with Scouts, Free Attacks, and Katarina!

We’ll have to see how many times this card can reliably trigger throughout a game. Summoning three Ghastly Bands gives us a little more than our mana’s worth, and any more than that is awesome value.

Fanclub President

I know its stats are awful, but the potential payoff is pretty insane. I don’t think it’s completely out of the question to play a 2/2 on turn four. After all, we already play TF and Aloof Travelers.

There are a lot of good spells that cost five mana, and they become insane when you have to consider them at two mana. Sunburst, Harsh Winds, Eye of Nagakabouros!? That’s just to name a few.

If you thought Ferros Financier was miserable to play against, have fun trying to play around with Fanclub President’s spells!

The Unforgiving Cold

It’s our second spell of the three-four mana “Once you have Equipped” bunch, and this one is equally as punishing. It’s Harsh Winds for four mana. It’s even got the potential to be better than that, as it does have double-spell applications. Does anyone else remember Ezreal Teemo?

This also fits perfectly into Ashe Noxus as a cheaper Harsh Winds. It should be easy enough to throw Hookmaster into the deck and call it a day. The deck’s already lacking 2-drops, so it sounds like a perfect fit.

Not all decks that want Harsh Winds will be able to justify an equipment package, so I don’t see this as an outright replacement. Each card will have its own place. Overall, Frostbite is still a niche mechanic, so it’s gonna depend on how the meta shapes up in the end.

Crowd Pleaser

+2 Power and Quick attack for two? That’s a pretty reasonable combat trick. Wait, it’s in PnZ!?

Crowd Pleaser is basically a miniature Rising Spell Force, except, it actually looks good! The difference between a two and three-mana combat trick is huge, and at two, it could do some real damage.

Think of it like PnZ’s version of Pale Cascade. However, instead of acting as a minor protection buff, it lets you strike enemies out of nowhere! It’s going to be pretty awkward committing a block hoping to trade, then the opponent casts this in response. What a blowout.

Not only that, but when Flow is active we get a free spell to replace it? Call me crazy, but this card looks nuts! Even when punished by removal the card still replaces itself. But when things work out, the payoff is incredible and at such little cost. I’m scared of this one.

Bloodcursed Harpy

Very few 6+ cost units are worth considering in Runeterra’s increasingly fast meta.. But Bloodcursed Harpy may just meet the bar. Scout is a busted keyword, plus we get to combine it with a free instant equip from hand. Then if it were to die, instead it just gets healed at the cost of the equipment?

Standalone this threatens a lot of damage. If we assume the average 2-cost equipment grants two power, then we can push 16 damage in one round. Obviously, we have to expect some form of interaction, be it blockers or removal, but that’s A LOT of damage in one card.

Demacia’s ready to make a comeback, and if the equipment comes to the forefront, there’s a decent chance Bloodcursed Harpy follows alongside.

The Unending Wave

And now we know why Twisted Fate is getting rotated. What is this card!? It’s the third and final equipment-reduced spell, and this card is absolutely bonkers!

Design space for spells in Bilgewater is tricky thanks to cards like Nami and Shelly. Additionally, card draw has typically been limited or came with caveats because of TF. The Unending Wave is absurdly powerful, and it’s in the region that can abuse it more than any other!

Yes, Fleeting is a real drawback, but the decks that can truly abuse this card don’t even care. Either the cards are cheap enough to play without worry, or they become easy discard fodder.

Fizz TF could make its return. Who needs pre-nerf Pick a Card when you have The Unending Wave!? Between that, Rummage, and Stress Testing, it’s time to turbo level TF once again!

At least that’s my hope haha. Fizz TF was peak Runeterra in my eyes.. 🙂

Conclusion

It may only be three champs, but I think we’re in for a wild expansion. There’s a lot of potential playables here, and the spells look insane!

Don’t forget to take the time to mess around and enjoy it!

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

While we may not control the environment around us, we can control our outlook. Reframe our negative thoughts to positive ones.

Life is a lot easier when we don’t make it mentally harder on ourselves.

To explore all Legends of Runeterra cards including the new ones from Domination, head to the Card Gallery.

The post Top 10 Domination Cards to Watch appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hey, it’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and today I’m bringing you my top 10 list of cards that are worth watching from the new expansion; Awakening!

Before we begin, let me drop the usual few disclaimers.

• These cards are in no particular order.
• No Champions, as they are the obvious place to start with when deck building.
• This list isn’t solely based on power and playability. Some of these cards will be notable meta players, such as the new removal spells. Others are more theoretical, as these cards have huge potential if the right pieces are put together.

We’ve got a ton of decks to explore this time around, so don’t be too shocked if some of your favorites don’t make the list. It was tough choosing only ten cards.. So this time we’ll be starting with a few honorable mentions!

Honorable Mentions

Hexbliterator

One of PnZ’s common weaknesses is its inability to deal with larger units. While it may have efficient damage removal, it often relies on help from regions like Noxus or Shadow Isles to deal with threats outside of its reach.

Hexbliterator is a step toward filling in that gap. It’s a little on the weak side as five damage won’t always get the job done.. But the Obliterate can be a nice bonus.

It’s not quite top 10 material, but hey, it’s a great card to pick off of Ferros Financier!

Celestial Impact

Piggybacking off of Hexbliterator, Celestial Impact is a solid option for a lot of the same reasons. It fills that gap of being a top-end removal in a region that lacks reliable options.

Seven mana is a lot, but it’s definitely a nice catch-all answer to a single major threat. And once again, it’s a great Ferros Financier target!

Tempting Prospect

We haven’t really seen this type of effect in Runeterra, at least not at this type of cost. What’s even more interesting is that it’s in Demacia?

Tempting Prospect helps us find the right follower or equipment for the situation. If there’s ever a specific piece we need for a combo, this can almost be a way to tutor it. It’s sort of like a Time Trick, but better. The only caveat being we can potentially whiff and hit nothing..

I’m not sure whether the average midrange Demacia deck will want a card like this, as they can’t always afford to spare any mana.. But cheap cantrip spells are almost always effective in some way, so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before it finds a home.

Heavy Metal

If you’ve read my articles before, you know I’m all for two mana deal twos. Even at slow speed, you can’t really go wrong.

What makes this even better is the region it’s in. Bilgewater has a knack for having garbage tier spells and minimal removal options, but Heavy Metal doesn’t fall into that camp.

This allows Bilgewater a bit more freedom to utilize its Keg and spell synergies without solely relying on its second region. And if equipment ever defines the meta, it only gets better!

Wuju Style

If there was an 11th card on my list, it would be Wuju Style. But unfortunately, there’s another more efficient Ionia spell that’s taken its place. (Spoilers, sorry!)

Regardless, Wuju Style is a fantastic spell that perfectly fits Ionia’s double-spell archetype. The attack half is great alongside Quick Attackers to allow even more bluffs that the opponent must consider. Then on the backside, we get a two mana Elixir of Iron for protection.

In a way, this can sort of function like a Troll Chant effect as we’re able to cast each spell on different targets. Three mana isn’t an outrageous cost, so this will definitely win some exchanges.

All that said, the card does still have some situational uses. It’s a bit too costly to rely on solely as a protection spell, and there won’t always be a perfect target for both halves. Regardless, it provides excellent value for one card and will definitely be worth considering in multiple lists.

Top 10 Awakening Cards

1. Momentous Choice

Starting off our top 10 we have the spell that beat out Wuju Style… Momentous Choice. This card is a nutty combat trick. While it does have a bit of a deck building cost, the payoff is a mini Twin Disciplines for ONE MANA!

I know, two health is very different from three. But Elixir of Iron is already a solid card, and we also have the ability to flex it into an attack buff.

Assuming equipment becomes a mainstay, I suspect Momentous Choice will be a staple piece of interaction for a long time.

2. Forsaken Baccai

I was absolutely floored when they spoiled this card. What in the world IS this!?

Released as a one mana 2|1 with Predict and I’d already be sold. Ekko Zilean is going to have a field day with this one. But no… This card can actually turn into a 3|2!? Excuse me!?

The Cultist tag also makes this a Kayn staple, though that’s probably the least of our worries.

This is a ridiculous 1-drop. It may even be enough to bring back the old Noxus Shurima burn decks. If there’s a way to efficiently build equipment into the list, the deck will have six 3|2’s with this and Legion Rearguard.

3. Quietus

We got Hate Spike at one mana, and now we get this? Shadow Isles is getting some really efficient removal spells, and it’s going to be needed to help halt the increasing aggression.

Quietus is essentially a miniature Culling Strike at slow speed. One mana makes this a premium choice, and there’s no clause preventing it from killing champions.

This will kill a good number of things, but we’ll still have to be careful of it fizzling to buffs. At the very least, it’s a good tech card against equipment.

Gotta love the buff to Burblefish!

4. Gift of the Hearthblood

This is a strange card to evaluate, but what really intrigues me is the cost we’re paying for the effect. At first glance, we may compare this to Avarosan Hearthguard. Instead of getting a 5|6 body, we heal four and draw a card (plus equipment buff).

However, a key difference is the spell mana. We can theoretically play this as early as turn three if we want to; which bolsters every unit and equipment draw from that point forward.

That’s a pretty interesting consideration. While I don’t suggest taking a huge tempo loss on the first three turns, this could actually be a realistic play pattern in more controlling matchups.

Outside of that, Gift of the Hearthblood offers a nice mid to late-game value tool. It’s basically the Freljord Starshaping, and that’s pretty good as is!

5. Fireth, Reaper of the Sands

This unit may look like a Sand Soldier that can’t block. But it’s so much more than that! On average, it’s a Reborn Grenadier that draws us an equipment. Ephemeral disincentivizes the opponent from blocking, and beyond pushing damage, we gain permanent value!

Fireth is a powerful aggressive tool. Its only real drawback is it doesn’t function defensively, and will force us to re-equip our Improvised card to retain value. I imagine it’ll be the frontrunner for aggro, but perhaps take a back seat to the other equipment options in slower decks.

6. Ionian Hookmaster

At a quick glance, Ionian Hookmaster looks a lot worse than Fireth.. But I think it’s actually the opposite. Ionian Hookmaster is the only 2-drop other than Jax that can immediately gain equipment without paying an additional cost. And what makes this better than Fireth is that it stays on the board!

On average it’s a 3/2 with a keyword. Even as a 3|1 it will still trade well and give us the equipment when it dies. I see it as a pre-nerfed Boom Baboon in terms of being a valuable 2-drop. This card is very good!

I’m pretty confident this falls into the staple 2-drop category. Improvise is just so powerful because you don’t have to pay the initial equip-cost, but still, retain the value after the unit dies!

Unless equipment ends up being garbage, be prepared to see a lot of this card.

7. Combat Cook

I usually like to alternate between similar effects, but I think it’s interesting to see how the Improvise cards compare. Combat Cook is another great contender.

With the Forge ability, Combat Cook will be a 5|4 (with keyword) on average. Then when it dies, drops the Forged version of the equipment. There’s really nothing not to be liked; it’s an excellent 4-drop.

I mentioned this the other day in my reveal article, but the only real downside is its cost. There’s a lot of competition in the four-slot, so that does limit its usability depending on how decks are built.

Either way, it’ll definitely see play in the equipment archetypes, and still, potentially find a home outside of them as well.

8. Heedless Resurrection

This.. Is a scary card.. Even without the cost reduction, paying five spell mana to summon the strongest dead champion is super powerful! Shurima is already the region with some of the hardest champs to kill.. And look how easy it is to bring them back! It’s basically a Mist’s Call without timing restrictions or the chance of whiffing.

It also allows for more possibilities of duplicating champions. Rekindler was the most common way before, but having access to this for three mana unlocks some broken combinations!

Coming back down to reality, we can’t forget that this card literally does nothing when none of our champions have died. That is a massive downside, and quite likely writes this card off as not being the problematic nightmare it appears to be.

However, the combo potential and ceiling is high, so it definitely had to make the list as a card to watch!

9. Seal in Steel

Seal in Steel offers a really unique effect. It falls into the Glimpse Beyond/Noxian Fervor category, being a very good counterspell to opposing interaction.

When used on a large unit, we get to save all of those stats onto the equipment that can be used repeatedly. This could very easily give us a three mana, grant +5|+5.. or even better!

It’s a great way to save those built-up Fated stats and reuse them later. The one thing to note is it Obliterates the ally, so we can’t take advantage of any death or slay triggers. This makes sense given its name, and overall won’t matter in most cases.

10. Junk Construct

I raved about this card in my reveal article, and frankly, I’m surprised there hasn’t been much talk about it.

I think Junk Construct is quite possibly the most unfair 2-drop in the entire game. We’re paying only two mana for a 2-drop, PLUS a second 2-drop, OR 3-drop, a few turns later. That’s an entire unit of free stats at no cost! As a 2/2 this already trades with most things, but then you’ll end up a whole card ahead within a few turns later.

On offense, this will help aggressive decks swarm the board even faster for cards like Sneezy Biggledust. On defense, it’ll be an aggro player’s nightmare when you get a second unit to halt their attack.

Piloted Shredder has come to Runeterra and I’m scared. Junk Construct is one heck of a card. Do not sleep on this 2-drop!

Conclusion

You may be wondering why I didn’t include any equipment on the list, and to be honest, they’re tough to evaluate. As a whole, I definitely expect they’ll make an impact in the game. Though I’m not certain how many will be directly playable. I believe the Improvise cards are likely the strongest, as they all come attached to the unit.

Well, that wraps up my top 10 list! If you want to reach out and discuss more, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @Shugo_LoR!

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

We all have a long list of things we’d love to spend time on, and I’m not talking about a bucket list.

Take a moment to consider all of our possessions, hobbies, and commitments. I imagine it’s a pretty long list, and in some ways, it can be a bit intimidating.

I like to think of this as our own personal backlog. Us gamers are very familiar with this term, but what if we extend this thought to everything else in life?

Before I take on anything else, I like to look at my personal backlog, because in most cases it already includes a much greater priority than the newly considered endeavor.

How often do we select something new and overlook what’s already right there in front of us?

The post The Top 10 Awakening Cards to Watch appeared first on Mobalytics.

It’s that time again. The moment we’ve all been waiting for… new cards! To all of us deck builders out there, it feels like Christmas morning. The metagame has been refreshed and it’s time to brew. The possibilities are endless!

But where do we begin?

Building an effective deck is not easy, even for experienced players. There’s a lot of testing, tuning, and going back to the drawing board. Even when it’s all said and done, there’s a good chance we didn’t create the perfect deck we were hoping for. And that’s okay!

It’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and today I’m going to go over my approach to deckbuilding!

Choose a Concept

Every deck begins with an idea. In LoR, the most common place to start is with the champions. They are undeniably powerful, and with champions being the only limited card type (max 6 per deck), it makes sense to build around them. This is a given already, so let’s look at two other ways we can discover a concept.

Specific Card Interactions

Sometimes it all starts with a unique interaction between a couple of cards. Let’s look at an example using one of the new cards, Formal Invitation, and pair it with Doombeast.

Formal Invitation creates copies of two allied followers that have died during the game. In the average use case, this will create two random followers. But what if we could guarantee ourselves a Doombeast? That’s a lot of burn!

So how could we accomplish this? Build a deck with only two different followers. That may sound kinda crazy, but having this drawback does come with a pretty intriguing payoff. Plus, we’ll still have our champions.

As for the second follower, Boomcrew Rookie or Imperial Demolitionist would be great options to consider as they both compliment our game plan.

While this is likely miles away from being competitive, it’s an example of how we can take a couple of non-champion cards and theory craft a whole new type of list.

It’s possible as we start filling out the rest of the deck that we add Ravenbloom Conservatory, bumping up to three followers we’re happy to create with Formal Invitation. Or perhaps we scrap the Noxus half in favor of Jhin, then bring in the Boomcrew Rookies!

I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination. 😉

Anti-Meta Approach

There are times when the meta stabilizes to a pretty consistent degree. The top dogs are known, and the decks that exist on ladder are common appearances. If you can identify the pocket-meta you’re in, perhaps there’s a way to build to counter it.

This type of deckbuilding comes with its own flaws. For starters, not every metagame is narrow enough that you can appropriately build against it. And even when it is, there’s a good chance matchmaking doesn’t line up that way you hoped.

Overall, it’s better to build with your own game plan in mind, rather than your opponent’s. But if you can find a way to effectively tie the two together, it could be a good starting point!

Identify Strengths

Once you’ve chosen a concept, it’s important to identify the pillar cards to your strategy. These should be the most powerful options; the staples of the archetype or region.

For example, let’s say we’re looking to rebuild Caitlyn Ezreal. The immediate cards that come to mind are Mystic Shot and Ravenous Flock. These are two key cards that define the archetype and confirm the region pairing of Noxus PnZ. From there, the next obvious inclusion is Arachnoid Sentry.

It’s good to keep this in mind when starting out. If you aren’t playing the staples from your regions, then what is the reason for including them? Would another region be able to support your strategy better?

Sometimes we pigeonhole ourselves into certain champion pairings when in reality, we’re much better off forgoing the lesser champion and picking a better second region. Take the time to consider multiple regions and compare the best cards that each one has to offer.

You’ll usually be able to narrow down on 1-2 regions that have a considerable advantage above the rest. Then you can put together a shell for each and go from there!

Assemble a Shell

Once we’ve defined the pillars of our strategy, it’s time to build out the core of our deck. These are the bread and butter cards that make everything churn nicely. If you ever struggle to find enough cards for the outline, it’s probably an early sign that the concept won’t work. We should have a good amount of structure before looking to fill in the gaps.

Let’s have a look at a rough shell for Soraka Tahm Kench.

All of these cards are just about staple 3-of’s in every Star Spring list. This makes up 27/40 cards and still leaves room for many other inclusions.

Star Shepherd and Broadback Protector can often be found in many versions, along with Shakedown for additional interaction. Though these are not always selected, and thus aren’t included in the original shell.

Defining a shell can be important as it gives the deck direction. Each inclusion is vital to the strategy. When proceeding to fill in the rest of the gaps, ask yourself, does this support my game plan? In what way does this card serve me?

As fun as it can be to just jam any odd card into the list, you’ll save a lot of time if you take a moment to really consider it first. But if you really want to, give it a try! You can always cut it later.

Include Interaction

In a fresh metagame, it’s better to be more proactive than reactive. When decks are unrefined, they’ll even lose to themselves, so don’t worry about including too many tech cards. After all, it’s hard to have the answer when you don’t even know the question.

Once things stabilize, that’s the time you’ll really want to be cognizant of the meta.

Ask yourself: What popular decks do I need to account for? How does my deck fare in those matchups?

Another important question. Does my interaction support or detract from my game plan? Some decks aren’t accustomed to playing much removal, and really can’t afford the slot. Simply adding a tech card may not even win you the matchup. You could have better odds just playing for a solid curve, compared to playing out a mediocre draw with the tech card in hand.

It can be hard to find the right balance and amount of interaction, and that’s where the playtesting comes in. As you get more games in, you’ll learn what cards are worth their slot.

Reflect & Revise

After we’ve had the chance to play a few games, we’ll likely already have a pretty good idea of how the deck feels. Of course, while it’s hard to judge perfectly with a small sample size, we’ll be able to evaluate some of the play patterns.

Then we can reflect and ask ourselves more questions.

• What does this deck do well?
• What are its weaknesses?
• How reliable is my win condition?
• Does another deck do a similar thing, but better?

The last one is often a truth that’s hardest to accept. While we may have created a functional deck that can hold its own if it’s a worse version of something that already exists, why are we playing it?

Don’t be afraid to let go and move on. There’s always time to revisit it later, and you may discover something even greater next time!

There’s no right or wrong way to approach deckbuilding, but I hope this helps inspire some direction to those who may struggle with where to begin. Until next time, happy brewing!

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

Allow yourself the permission to mess up.

One perfect day doesn’t define you, and neither does one mistake.

It’s not about how often you fail, but about how often you get back up to try again.

Ready to build a new deck with these tips? Head to the Deck Builder!

The post Legends of Runeterra Deckbuilding Tips appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hey, it’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and today I’m bringing you my top 10 list of cards that are worth watching in Forces From Beyond!

A few things to note before we get into it.

• These cards are in no particular order.
• No champions, as they’d account for the first three slots.
• This list isn’t solely based on power and playability. I’ve opted to not include generic archetype units such as Boisterous Host or Sultur.

Let’s explore a little deeper!

To explore more cards, head to the Card Gallery. If you have an idea in mind, head to a Deck Builder.

1. Supercharge

The community went crazy over this card when it was first revealed, and for good reason. Supercharge offers the perfect combination of keywords, and at focus speed, there’s no way to interact with it before it resolves.

Papercraft decks have become increasingly popular these days with Ruin Runner being one of the primary hosts thanks to its keyword combination of Overwhelm and SpellShield. Supercharge lets us turn any unit into the perfect host!

Akshan Lee has seen practical experimentation before, but it’s always been difficult to play Lee without Targon. With Zenith Blade nerfed and Supercharge revealed, Shurima looks a lot more appealing.

What makes Supercharge even stronger is the keywords are permanent. Even as a “give”, the card would still work efficiently on the combo turn. Being a “grant” gives it some added utility and makes it feel fine to cast earlier.

Get your pings ready!

2. Windswept Hillock

It’s finally happened… Yasuo got a boat!

One of the biggest issues of Yasuo decks is… Not drawing Yasuo. Even when you did, you often needed to draw a second in case he was removed. While we’ve always had tutors like Entreat or Rite of Calling, it just wasn’t feasible due to their regions. The best region pairing for the Stun archetype is undoubtedly Ionia Noxus. Now, this is all possible!

Windswept Hillock does come at a pretty hefty cost.. Spending five mana on a landmark is a lot. The one benefit is it does Stun an enemy upon entry, and that can sometimes be enough to stop the enemy’s turn, or at least weaken it.

Once Yasuo’s leveled, Windswept Hillock becomes a powerful removal engine, provided you’re able to keep Yasuo around. This also helps remove blockers and clear a path to strike with Yasuo or Fae Bladetwirler.

Overall, I don’t expect Yasuo to make any major waves, but this should help the archetype feel a lot better to play.

3. Drop The Bomb

It may not be flashy, but a two mana deal two is always a solid consideration; even at Slow speed. The Scrappy Bomb is a nice addition to help make this an excellent slot into Xerath Zilean or similar builds.

Drop The Bomb will be a great tool for decks that lack solid removal in their respective regions. Bandle + Freljord is a good example, as there aren’t many ways to deal with units outside of combat. The Scrappy Bomb also helps enable transform effects. Even Bandle + Noxus may want this in some capacity.

Two for two without drawbacks is a solid rate, so we’ll be seeing a good amount of this card.

4. Hate Spike

Speaking of two for two’s. Hate Spike offers a deal two at Fast speed! While it does require you to kill an ally, there are a lot of easy targets to make this efficient. It also summons a random Husk, which gives the deck another fodder unit for future effects.

This is also another card in the Glimpse from Beyond/Noxian Fervor/Single Combat category. When the opponent goes to remove your unit, you can cast Hate Spike in response to damage theirs. However, this is notably worse in response compared to the above cards, as pointing two damage at a unit isn’t always useful.

I do think the baseline is a bit lower with this card. Having to sacrifice an ally to deal only two damage can be a real cost. It’s also Vulnerable to being fizzled. When combined efficiently, the ceiling is a strong two mana removal with upside, so it’ll see some experimentation.

5. Void Abomination

Eight drops in LoR are historically unplayable, especially the ones with wonky text. And don’t get me wrong, there’s a strong probability that Void Abomination is exactly that.

What’s interesting, however, is the prospect of creating a controlled, late-game win condition. Void Abomination gains all the keywords your allies have had throughout the entire game. It’s not random!

If we’re able to build a deck around it, it’s possible to turn Void Abomination into a Pantheon-like finale. Remember those Elusive + Scout + SpellShield auto-win games? What if instead of crossing our fingers for the best, we just play Void Abomination and WIN!?

This may not be competitive, but it sure will be fun!

6. Formal Invitation

At three mana, this essentially functions as a three mana draw two. It’s Scribe of Sorrows x2 but in spell form. Standalone this is good value, but also has the potential to accelerate certain strategies.

Imagine copying more Mistwraiths or Wraithcallers. The deck performs best when it draws those power cards in multiples. While it doesn’t improve odds of playing them on curve, it does provide more fuel for the deck to apply pressure and buff its endgame finisher.

A notable card to compare this to is Stalking Shadows. While it can’t search for cards from the deck, it doesn’t have the Ephemeral drawback. It also doesn’t require the deck to be built with multiple followers, which is one of the main requirements of Stalking Shadows.

The one key downside is it can draw token followers, so be careful running it alongside Vile Feast.

7. Riptide Sermon

It may be six mana and Slow speed, but dealing four while simultaneously summoning a 3|3 is a great tempo swing. You can sort of imagining it as a pseudo-Tribeam that doesn’t require setup, and that’s pretty good!

It is worth noting that Spawn does change the equation. In some cases, already having a Tentacle on board makes this considerably weaker. In other spots, it can work to your benefit.

The two nexus damage won’t always be important, but alongside Jayce or Lux, can be a way to pressure and finish the game. Many lethals have happened off the back of Shock Blast, so Riptide Sermon does have potential there.

8. Trifarian Training Pits

The ceiling on this card is absurd. Aside from Katarina or casting a Rally on Taric, we haven’t seen anything quite like this.

Repeatable Rallys is a dangerous design space, which gives this card potential to do some crazy busted things. That being said, it’s also a four-mana landmark that does nothing, unless you can attack the turn it comes down.

Now one problem with Rallys is they are only good when your units can attack and survive to swing again. This is why we haven’t seen much of Blood in the Water, as most of Lurk’s units are quite frail.

Where I do see the potential is alongside Sivir. She naturally meets the requirement while SpellShield can protect her long enough to be able to attack. Roiling Sands looks even better when your opponent has to play around multiple attack tokens.

There’s also some potential in Ashe Noxus decks, as they often have trouble closing out the game without Ashe freezing the entire board. Many of the units have 5+ power, and they’re certainly sturdy enough to survive a hit.

If you summon this on the turn you want to Rally and get an attack off, you’ve at least achieved the standard rate of Rally for four mana. Any subsequent attack makes this card insane. However, having this on the board makes it easy for the opponent to play around. You can bet they’ll be saving their removal for all your 5+ power units.

9. Ransom Riches

I don’t have much to say about this card other than the fact it’s a solid one-mana spell in Bilgewater. This adds a strong card to the 1-cost pool for Burblefish and Coral Creatures, which in turn lowers the odds of hitting one of the useless ones.

Realistically, it’s a one-mana spell that procs Nami and Shelly while potentially generating something of value. In a deck that turns trash into a win condition, that’s good enough!

Bonus points, this card is incredible in Nami Shellfolk!

10. Rite of Passage

This may be one of the most impactful cards of the expansion. While it does require you to have played and destroyed the landmarks, it enables some absurd play patterns in the following turns.

Blighted Ravine is a ridiculous card and an auto-keep against many matchups. Once you’ve played the first one, Rite of Passage allows you to summon one for only TWO SPELL MANA.

Emphasis on the “spell mana” part. A common play pattern is to not overcommit to the board while the opponent still has four unit mana available. How are we supposed to play around with a two-spell mana Blighted Ravine!?

If we want to take this a step further, you can even combine Rite of Passage with Imagined Possibilities for a three spell mana, focus speed board wipe.

This removes any window of action from the opponent, allowing you to avoid any protection spells. Time in a Bottle also functions the same for an additional mana.

Any decks that play Rite of Passage will likely want three copies of Preservarium. This helps give us more landmarks that can be played early, ensuring Rite of Passage has a viable target. And hey, summoning a Preservarium for two spell mana is great!

One small downside to Preservarium is that it requires unit mana to be played. Aside from that, it’s a very efficient form of card draw. Rite of Passage makes it even better!

We also now have an efficient way to get a second Sun Disc, while still serving a use outside of that. Even when we’re not guaranteeing our choices, many landmark decks will find solid value with this.

There are a lot of wild possibilities with this card, and there’s more to explore from here. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination, but before I do that.

Rite of Passage + Time Bomb.

Conclusion

That covers my top 10 watch list for Forces From Beyond! I can’t wait to dive in and start brewing! What cards are on your list? If you want to spark a discussion, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @Shugo_LoR.

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

When you’re feeling down, instead of remaining quietly where you are, get up and do something physical.

Go for a walk, exercise, do some housework, etc. It’s a simple act that moves the needle forward.

And when we move forward, we tend to feel better. So get started!

To explore more cards, head to the Card Gallery. If you have an idea in mind, head to a Deck Builder.

The post Top 10 Forces Beyond Cards to Watch (Non-Champions) appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hey all, it’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here. Now that we’re a couple of weeks into the patch, I want to take a moment to give you a glimpse into Patch 3.10.

After a plethora of buffs and nerfs, we’ve seen quite the variety of decks looking to make their return.

Of course, I can’t cover everything.

I’ll be leaving out the obvious players from the previous patch that didn’t receive nerfs (Aphelios PnZ, Nami TF, etc.) and will focus on those who were affected or emerged from the patch.

Annie TF

Deck Code: CIDACAIDFMAQGBQIAECQMAICAIBQQCICAYBQYHADAIDBUJRNAQAQCAZOAEDAMHQBAYBQ4AQCAYERYAA

[See Annie TF deck details]

Annie TF was the first popular breakout deck of the patch. With Riptide Rex returning to its former glory, players were eager to give it a spin. After all, it’s another flavor of Ravenbloom, and that’s been a popular archetype since its release. Add in Rex and suddenly things get extra spicy!

The deck’s not a complete newcomer, as we did see some experimenting with BilgeNox Ravenbloom earlier on. However, it was far overshadowed by the PnZ variant; Annie Ezreal.

Annie TF had a good performance the first couple of days, but as the meta adapted to its ways, it found itself in a similar position to Annie Ezreal. It punishes decks that play a fair game but gets outclassed by those that don’t.

Ashe LeBlanc

Deck Code: CECACAYBAIAQIAYEAMAQGBA7EECQCAILDYTCSMACAECAGDYCAEARMKQDAEAQCBABAEBTKAQEAMBAQ

[See Ashe LeBlanc deck details]

Ashe LeBlanc is quite possibly the deck that received the biggest buffs overall. Both Trifarian Assessor and Avarosan Hearthguard have returned to their former glory, and are definitely respectable cards. Trifarian Assessor is one of the most efficient sources of card draw in the game! However, it comes at a cost.. Playing a fair midrange game.

Ashe Noxus is a deck that thrives against other board-centric decks like Demacia. Between freeze spells and powerful buffs like Troll Chant and Elixir of Iron, any combat-oriented matchup becomes extremely favored. However, when combat isn’t the name of the game, Ashe LeBlanc struggles to do anything at all.

Unfortunately, Ashe LeBlanc just doesn’t fare well in today’s day and age. Its matchups are too polarizing, which makes it hard to find consistency on ladder. While the deck can thrive in certain pocket metas, the most powerful decks attack the meta on a different axis.

Azir Irelia

Deck Code: CMBQCAICFICAIAQEAUEASBIEA4BRUHBTPECACAICBQAQGAQFAECAOXICAQBACCYA

[See Azir Irelia deck details]

Irelia was one of the few champions to receive a notable buff, and it sparked a resurgence of an old favorite (or most-hated..) archetype. Adding Attune was a popular request, and has been a good way to help Irelia cast her two mana Flawless Duet.

Aside from that, the deck’s pretty much the same. Was the buff enough to put Azir Irelia back on the radar? Well, sorta.

Azir Irelia has actually been a reasonable option for a while even prior to the buff. The deck plays well into Thralls, which did give it a reasonable position in the previous meta. It’s a fair consideration, but it’s definitely not the overpowered monster it once was.

Papercraft Renekton

Deck Code: CQBQCBQKDIBAKCURAGYQCBIEA43TWQ3HQIAQEAQFBKTADVIBAYCAOAJNIVOYAAMKAEAA

[See Papercraft Renekton deck details]

Reminiscent of the old “Paper Gnario”, Papercraft Renekton is back to take advantage of the powerful Double Attack + Overwhelm combo. The shell is very close to its original days, but now has access to the everpresent Byrd which adds some extra high roll potential.

Once again, there aren’t a lot of changes here. What separates this deck is its newfound place in the current meta. While it’s still early to know for certain, Papercraft Renekton appears to have a favorable matchup into a lot of the top dogs of the field. A few players have even piloted the deck to the front page of Masters. That’s pretty impressive given its brief appearance.

The deck does powerful things, and leaves a lot of room to outplay the opponent. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it show up and perform well in the upcoming Seasonal Tournament.

Poppy Taric

Deck Code: CQDACBAAAIAQKCRJAECQADABAYER2AQBAAFR2BQDBERTGOSHKFMAABABAEABKAICAADQCAYABYAQGCIT

[See Poppy Taric deck details]

With Pantheon and Fated falling to the wayside, Poppy Taric is looking to make a comeback. Despite nerfs to Broadwing, the deck still continues to do its thing.

Poppy Taric has game into a lot of the field, and many of its bad matchups are far less prevalent than before. As it turns out, Rallys are still good. Who would’ve thought?

Scouts

Deck Code: CIDQCAQAAYAQIAACAECQMAIBAYAC2AQBAADB2AQCAYLD4AQFAAFAYBABAEAASAICAYTACAQABIAQGAAOAIAQEBRIAEBAABY

[See Scouts deck details]

Quite possibly the most well-known flavor of Demacia…Scouts are back once again. However, this time we’re seeing a wider variant featuring Marai Warden, Zap Sprayfin, and Inspiring Light. This creates some powerful turns and gives a lot of value for such a small cost.

Once again, the deck showcases that nerfs won’t keep Demacia down. There’s no denying Brightsteel is significantly weaker, but when the goal is to simply swarm as wide as possible, it still does a decent job.

Similar to Poppy Taric, Scouts just has a solid matchup spread across the board. There’s very few awful matchups, so if you’re well experienced with the deck, you’ve got a shot against anything!

Thralls

Deck Code: CMCQCAIBGIAQMAI6AEDAOMQDAQDSYQSJAUCACAIFAYFA4AQBAQAQYAQEA45XQAIBAEASU

[See Scouts deck details]

Make no mistake. Thralls got massively nerfed. The hit to Sands of Time and Promising Future are a big deal, and really slow down the insanely fast clock Thralls previously had. The deck was outright busted in the hands of a skilled pilot, and I’d argue strongly that pre-nerfed Thralls had no bad matchups. And now? The deck’s still really good!

We may not be able to do the crazy fast Promising Future setups anymore, but players have adapted, and now the focus is on Draklorn Inquisitor. We already saw some lists run it previously, so it’s no surprise the post-nerf version would include it.

After the patch, Thralls is still very well positioned in the meta. It competes well against the likes of Aphelios PnZ and Nami TF, which were the two clear patch winners. Plus, all the other top decks also got hit.

Conclusion

That wraps up this little snapshot of Patch 3.10. If you’re struggling to climb or simply looking for something new, I hope this helps give you some direction!

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

It’s okay to take a step back from time to time. If we’re too close, we could miss the new path forward.

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

The post LoR’s Patch 3.10.0 Thus Far (Decks That Have Risen in Stock) appeared first on Mobalytics.

Today instead of going into something competitive or strategically important we’re doing things a bit differently.

I’m Jordan “WhatAmI,” Abronson and with the unveiling of Kai’Sa, I thought I’d take a moment to look at what here and other Void champions might potentially look like in the upcoming set.

Yep, that’s right, it’s custom card-making time.

Here are my takes for Cho’Gath, Kassadin, and of course, Kai’Sa.

1. Cho’Gath

I’ve long been fascinated with the idea of trying to put disadvantages on cards to push the envelope on what is balanced but still interesting in card design. The new Runeterran champions are obviously a good example of that, constraining deck design space in order to concentrate power in the champion itself.

We can look further back in Runeterra’s history though and get significantly simpler for the basics of this theory. Something as straightforward as Reckless Trifarian stands out. We can put more stats in one place than would usually be allowed because it can’t block.

Slow, lumbering, powerful Cho’Gath, seemed like an ideal candidate for another idea. A massive and often unstoppable force to be reckoned with, but not exactly the best at getting where he is going. Without further ado, I present, Cho’Gath!

If you can help this Void-friend get their nom on then they will proceed to munch all over your enemy’s board and then their nexus. However, unassisted he’s unfortunately easy to swarm under or ignore. I also wanted to get the feel of being rewarded for chowing down on champs in there with his level up.

2. Kassadin

Continuing with the theme of putting in a disadvantage to allow extremely powerful payoffs Kassadin felt like a great vessel. Anyone who has played this champion in League of Legends knows two things about them.

One, is that they teleport everywhere. I figured that was the easy way out, so I decided to focus more on the second aspect. Kassadin is ridiculously weak in the early game, often an active detriment to the team, until you pump him full of mana and he goes absolutely nuts killing everyone around him.

Having no spell mana in the early and mid-game is a huge detriment to be able to get around. But if you can then Kassadin will murder your opponent’s nexus with Ezreal levels of focus, especially if you have some strike spells to back them up. You can also shortcut this process using buff effects, to allow some additional synergy with other archetypes.

3. Kai’Sa

For Kai’Sa I wanted to keep the theme going of a cost to be paid for power in the void. A theme is no fun if you abandon it part way through after all. This time though we’ll focus in on two of Kai’Sa’s key concepts.

Number one, the unreasonable speed and slipperiness with which she moves around the map and a team fight.

Number two, the crazy range she can enter a battle from, jumping all the way across a map, or maybe even out of a deck.

Kai’Sa has no time for weakness. When thrust into the inhospitable territory of the void only the strong, or those willing to make themselves strong at any cost will survive. But those that do make it will be all the stronger for the experience.

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 3 Void Champions We Want to See in LoR (Custom Cards) appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hey everyone, Kuvira here, back at it again with another design article featuring the proud military kingdom of Demacia!

Surprisingly, Demacia is the region that I ended up working on the most.

I’ve come up with over 30+ changes to different Demacia cards from the foundation set to the latest expansion.

In this article, I decided to showcase 10 changes without including any champions.

Let’s get started

1. Petricite Broadwing

Petricite Broadwing is the most played Demacia unit, followers and champions included. It’s present in almost HALF all Demacia decks despite being tied to the formidable archetype that was introduced in the latest expansion.

Demacia already has its fair share of Challenger units, but Petricite Broadwing is by far the best. A 2 mana 0|3 Challenger with formidable is way too strong.

Every card in the game has a value floor and value ceiling, meaning that every card provides X amount of value in the worst-case scenario and Y amount of value in the best case. Cards that have a high floor X and high ceiling Y are always better than cards with the opposite values.

Petricite Broadwing’s value floor AND ceiling are way too high. In the worst-case scenario, it’s a 2 mana 3|3 Challenger unit that trades into something and dies, the opponent will always be down on value if they try to remove it with a spell since it has 3 health, Get Excited, Culling Strike, etc… all cost 3+ mana compared to Petricite Broadwing that costs 2.

The card’s ceiling is also extremely high. When combined with cards like Troll Chant, Shield of Durand, Elixir of Iron, or any other spell that buffs health, Petricite Broadwing becomes unkillable with damage spells and starts trading with big champions and followers without dying.

Formidable is a keyword that weakens followers when they take damage but it’s not enough of a drawback for this card to not be overpowered.

Figuring out how to change Petricite Broadwing was pretty challenging. The cost can’t really be changed since 3 mana would break the curve of the archetype it was designed in and the only changeable stat is its health, which is also impossible to change, 2 health would be too weak. All of this means that the only alterable factors are its keywords, the problem is that it has to keep Formidable since it’s the archetype it belongs in, and challenger can’t be changed since it’s a bird, and ALL BIRDS in Demacia have Challenger.

This is the change that I came up with:

This change is obviously very similar to Fleetfeather Tracker but Petricite only gets Challenger for the round after you play a unit.

I feel like this is a great condition that reduces both of Petricite Broadwing’s value floor and ceiling. Making the card still playable in the Formidable archetype but less of an auto 3x in every single competitive Demacia deck.

2. Dawnspeakers

Dawnspeakers is a card that holds a lot of sentimental value to me, it’s the first card I’ve ever crafted for the “Dawnspiders” deck that everyone was playing during the first weeks when
the open beta got released. This deck was actually made by Precipic and me in closed beta.

If you guys were curious, it looked like this. Believe it or not, this was the first-ever LoR meta Deck and ladder was full of mirrors of this during the first couple of weeks.

Dawnspeakers was used here to buff the spider-filled board and make everything huge. Unfortunately, when people started playing Burn, Control, and Elusives, Dawnspiders disappeared from the meta.

Dawnspeakers is a pretty unique card, I believe it was designed to fit in Lucian/Senna decks since those archetypes already benefit from allies dying. The problem is that the round end effect is somewhat clunky, you don’t get anything when an ally dies until the next turn which is too slow. On top of that, it’s reliant on board but needs you to kill your own units, this leads to emptying hands fast.

The rework that I’m suggesting should help the card see play in the archetype it was initially designed to synergize with while making it considerable in other decks like ephemerals swarm.

The instant effect can create interesting spots that the opponent has to play around. This new version can be used to protect a unit by sacrificing another with Single Combat for Example, or push damage when used before or during attacks.

3. Radiant Strike

In the spirit of helping Lucian and his archetypes, I want to talk about Radiant Strike. +1|+1 at Burst speed for 1 mana isn’t that bad, in fact, this card has seen play during Shen/Fiora metas where cheap combat tricks were really important.

Unfortunately with the game’s power creep, Radiant Strike completely stopped seeing play when better combat tricks like Troll Chant, Sharpsight, and Pale Cascade… got released.

The rework I’m suggesting is meant to make Radiant Strike a great spell in the “allies dying” archetype of Demacia and other SI decks, especially now that Sharpsight isn’t a staple combat trick after its nerf.

This change makes sense with Demacia cards like Radiant Guardian Vanguard Redeemer, Dawnpeakers, Lucian, etc… Primarily when combined with Shadow Isles.

4. Kadregrin the Ruined

Kadregrin the Ruined is a Demacia dragon that came out during the Viego/Akshan expansion with the Ruined followers package. It was meant to work with Viego and or Dragon decks.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t seen play in either of those archetypes. In fact, it’s in the top 5 least played Demacia cards and this is mainly due to its very underwhelming effect. A 6 mana follower that grants another dragon or champion challenger on play is such an expensive effect for its cost.

I’m assuming that the idea was to stay in Demacia’s challenger flavor while giving Dragons and Viego decks a way to remove the opponent’s units by challenging them.

I wanted to keep the same initial design goal when reworking this card, so I came up with this:

This is still very flavorful since Demacia is all about strike effects and provides a much more powerful effect than just Challenger.

Kadregrin the Ruined can now be played on defense turns and actually do something, instead of paying 6 mana for no effect that same turn. I can see this new version in many Dragon decks, curving it with Shyvana to level her on defense/before the attack, or with Fused Firebrand since it has Spellshield. It also doesn’t feel awkward to play Kadregrin the Ruined on Screeching Dragon now which is very important for Dragon archetypes.

Apart from Dragons, this change also works really well with Viego. It allows you to sacrifice an ally to trigger Viego’s effect and remove a unit from the opponent’s board.

5. Vanguard Lookout

Have you guys ever put this card in any of your decks? No? Neither have I. 4 health on turn 2 is a great defensive stat, the problem is that it has no effect at all apart from being an Elite.

It has never seen play in elite decks and will never see play if it doesn’t actually do something to help the archetype. Even though Elites got multiple huge buffs in the latest patch in addition to a unique new spell, the archetype is still not seeing enough play on ladder. However, the changes have moved elites from a meme archetype to a playable one which is nice.

I remember LoR devs have said in the past that their goal is to make every card at least considerable/playable in some decks, meme or not, as long as they’re seeing play.

Elites is a deck that vomits out units on the board and buffs them all to put pressure on the opponent. One of their main weaknesses is card advantage since Demacia is not known for having draw or card generation. The rework I’m suggesting for Vanguard Lookout should fix that issue.

This is inspired by one of my favorite Demacia cards, Egghead Researcher. This change should help Elite decks replenish their hand after getting their units removed while also working with Elite-specific cards like Penitent Squire and Vanguard Squire.

Egghead Researcher was played in decks outside of Dragons, Lux/Karma, Fiora/Shen, etc… and I expect Vanguard Lookout to also see play in archetypes other than Elites which is nice in terms of deckbuilding creativity and deck diversity.

The rest of these changes are pretty self-explanatory so I won’t be writing as much about them:

6. Tianna Crownguard

7. Kadregrin the Infernal

8. Brightsteel Protector

9. Golden Aegis

10. Reinforcements

I want to thank “Zinke”, an LoR player and friend who helped me with some of these changes, mainly Radiant Strike.

Feel free to DM me on Twitter if you have any questions or just want to talk about LoR stuff!

The post 10 Demacia Balance Changes Proposed by Kuvira appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hi everyone, Kuvira here.

My last design article was about one of my favorite regions, Frejlord.

This time around, I’ll be covering 5 changes from the best pink region, Ionia.

Let me know what you think of my proposed changes in the comments below or submit your own!

1. Shadowshift

This change is one of my favorite changes I’ve ever made. In my last Noxus design article, I talk about my philosophy with champion spells, to sum it up, the perfect champion spells need to synergize with the champion, help it level up, and be playable in decks without the champion.

Zed’s current champion spell doesn’t do any of the three things I mentioned, it doesn’t help him level up, it doesn’t truly synergize with him and it was never ever main decked in a competitive deck or even in meme decks since it doesn’t create any unique combo.

The version of Shadowshift I came up with does multiple things:

• It helps Zed Level up. If you use Shadowshift on Zed, an ephemeral copy of him starts a free attack which summons a living shadow. If the opponent doesn’t block either, Zed levels up.
• It synergizes with Zed’s Level 2, you can buff him and give him keywords like elusive or overwhelm then use Shadowshift to attack with an ephemeral copy of Zed that summons an exact copy of zed’s stats and keywords.
• It’s a great card for Ephemeral archetypes like Hecarim which is, I believe, one of Zed’s main archetypes.
• It enables new archetypes, a Rumble deck can use this to level Rumble on the same turn, Anivia decks can use this as well to attack with an ephemeral Anivia that deals 2 damage to the whole board and summon a non-ephemeral egg when she dies, essentially making another Anivia, and many other archetypes…

2. Ritual of Renewal

This is another Ionia spell that has been in the game since the foundation set. Ritual of Renewal never saw play in any competitive deck, it never even made it in any popular tier 3 or meme decks in the past.

It’s a 7 mana Slow speed spell that heals an ally or the nexus 7 and draws 1. This card has many problems; its cost is too high, 7 mana to fully heal an ally or heal the nexus is way too expensive even with the draw 1 effect. Healing is a reactive mechanic, having it attached to a Slow speed spell often feels underwhelming and counterproductive when the effect isn’t extremely good.

Ritual of Renewal is designed to work with Karma. With her level 2’s effect, Ritual of Renewal is doubled which makes it heal 14 and draw 2. When combined with Karm, healing the nexus to full and drawing 2 is a great way to come back into the game, but even in this perfect case scenario, the payoff isn’t enough.

For this card, I wanted to mainly focus on its synergy with Karma while also making the effect interesting enough to warrant experimentation in other archetypes.

I decided to keep the flavor of healing and drawing cards while adding an additional effect that would be interesting in Karma decks or any archetype that wants to play for the late game.

The cost reduction to 6 and speed change to Burst already makes this spell much more considerable in most slow Ionia decks. It becomes comparable to Starshaping, a 5 mana spell that heals 4 and generates a card.

The enlightened effect reduces the cost of the drawn card by the amount healed. Let’s say that healed a damaged ally 4, you will draw a card and reduce its cost by 4. If you target your nexus and fully heal 6, the drawn card’s cost will be reduced by 6.

When combined with Karma, the healing and drawing happen twice and the cost reduction applies to each drawn card separately. If you have Karma level 2 on the board and you use this spell on your 12 health nexus, it will be copied, the first one will heal 6 (putting the nexus at 18) draw you a card, and reduce its cost by 6, the second one will heal the remaining 2 on the same target, in this case, the nexus, draw you a card and reduce its cost by 2.

Ritual of Renewal could also fit in Lux decks (Lux/Karma), Jayce, Heimer, or even mageseeker archetypes.

I really wanted to keep the comeback mechanic that Ritual of Renewal offers and make it much more interesting and playable without it being too complicated.

3. Shadow Flare

As you’ve probably noticed by now, Ionia has quite a high number of useless spells that have never seen play, Shadow Flare is one of them. It’s a 6 mana Fast speed spell that is supposed to be used as a removal/combo tool for the Ephemerals archetype.

It can be used on attack or defense to grant all battling followers Ephemeral. In theory, this can clear out the opponent’s board if they fully swing which sounds like a great removal tool. The problem is that it allows units to strike before dying, which means taking nexus damage or losing blockers to the attack.

Compared to removal spells like Vengeance or Concerted Strike, Shadow Flare doesn’t help you deal with threats and never advances you to an ahead position.

Another problem is that it doesn’t target champions. In most cases, champions put more pressure compared to followers, they often are the main win condition of each deck, and having a removal spell that can’t interact with them often feels clunky.

Not being able to target or deal with backrow followers is another major issue with this spell. Shadow Flare’s flexibility as a removal spell is just far too low.

Again, my goal is to redesign cards without changing the main flavor but make them playable, and in this case, make them make sense.

This version is also a 6 mana fast speed spell but with a different effect; if you have an ephemeral ally, it grants all followers, in combat or not, Ephemeral.

I’m a huge fan of this effect since it doesn’t lose its minor combo aspects while offering a spell that actually makes sense in ephemeral archetypes as a removal tool. If you think about it, it’s like how Reckoning is the wide board removal tool for the 5+ attack units in Noxus, Shadow Flare becomes a good wide board removal tool for the Ephemeral archetype.

This version still only targets followers, but the ability to play this on defense solves the problem of open attacks that would need to be blocked and it deals with backrow followers.

This Shadow Flare balances itself since it needs the condition of having at least one ephemeral ally, which makes it fizzelable like Reckoning for example. And since Ephemerals die at the end of each round, you’ll need to commit mana into summoning an Ephemeral unit to be able to use the spell.

I can see Shadow Flare seeing play in Hecarim/Zed and Viego decks since they both already have great ephemeral synergy.

4. Zinneia, Steel Crescendo

I know what you’re thinking, buffing Irelia decks is terrifying, I agree but that is not my goal here. This is one of Irelia’s followers, it’s designed to be a game finisher/pressure tool for the blade dance archetype but it completely fails to do that.

Zinneia has never seen play in Irelia decks, in fact, people removed it from their decks a couple of hours after the new patch dropped.

It’s an 8 mana Elusive follower that attacks multiple times whenever you blade dance. It also has a strong play effect that makes sense, which is a good thing to have on an expensive follower.

The problem is that 8 mana is way too expensive for the blade dance archetype. Irelia decks have a certain speed, they want to set up their combos in the early 1-2-3 turns and start putting pressure on turns 4-5-6. They usually aim to finish the game by turn 7 in the worst scenarios. Having a follower that comes down much later than 6-7 just doesn’t make sense.

When you play Zinneia on turn 8, you’ll still need to play blade dance cards on turns 9-10+ to get value out of her and finish the game.

Here’s a little graph that illustrates the problem(pardon my paint skills):

I didn’t rework Zinneia’s effect but decided to simply reduce the mana cost to 6 in addition to changing the statline accordingly, from a 3|5 to a 2|3.

I am aware that this effect can be very hard to balance, but this version should allow Zinneia to fit the speed of the blade dance archetype better without creating any unhealthy situations.

5. Sown Seeds

Yes, another Ionia spell that has never seen play. Currently, the only Ionia archetype that would benefit from + attack hand buffs is elusives. A future Ionia hand buff archetype is very likely going to come out which is why this card doesn’t need any major reworks in my opinion.

+1 attack to every unit in hand is not worth it. Why spend 2 mana on this effect when you can bank for spells like Twin Disciplines that can be used during combat. Keeping mana up is also something the opponent has to keep in mind, which can force them to make less optimal plays or play awkwardly.

Even if the hand is full of units, which is the ceiling value for this card, it doesn’t provide that much compared to units that buff the whole board on play or summon like Keeper of Masks in the same region.

The change that I’m suggesting is quite simple and flavourful. This version of Sown Seeds gives you the option between granting a +1 attack to units in hand or +1 health instead. I like this change for multiple reasons.

First, +1 health to the whole hand can be significantly better in some spots depending on the deck. The flexibility between protecting a unit or putting pressure on the opponent is something really flavorful to Ionia, we see that with Twin Disciplines and Scaled Snapper for example.
I would love for Ionia to go deeper into cards that have two different effects, defensive and aggro. I could see that being a totally unique archetype for the region.

I quickly created a follower that I imagined would fit really well in this possible future archetype:

I want to thank “Zinke”, an LoR player and friend who helped me with some of these changes.

Feel free to DM me on Twitter if you have any questions or just want to talk about LoR stuff!

The post 5 Ionia Balance Changes Proposed by Kuvira appeared first on Mobalytics.

Hi everyone, Kuvira here.

Last time, we covered my proposed balance changes for Bandle City.

This time around, we’ll be covering 10 more changes for Freljord.

Note Riot recently put out a ton of new balance changes so that may affect my analysis.

1. Udyr

Udyr is one of the revealed champions from the last Bandle City Set. He’s not seeing much play, especially in the competitive scene, and currently has the lowest Freljord champion win rate.

Apart from his low power level, his design was a bit of a miss as well. He’s in the process of receiving a visual, gameplay, and lore change in League so the LoR dev team had to come up with a version of Udyr that is a mix between his current LoL version and the future one.

Patch 3.6.0 is going to be focused on adjusting multiple champions, Leblanc, Garen and Udyr will receive the “most significant changes”:

This leads me to believe that they’ll adjust Udyr to his future league update since they most likely have all the necessary info regarding his new changes.

After reading every piece of Udyr lore out there + their recently posted Udyr dev update, I believe I figured out something close to the overall direction that they will be taking.

Udyr is a spirit walker that can use the power of Freljordian Gods, Anivia, Ornn, Volibear, and a fourth unknown boar god.

I believe that he will be receiving an art/name change to most of his stances(the card art will be different for each one),

Anivia’s spirit will be his Phoenix Stance: AoE damage.

Ornn’s spirit will be the Ram Stance: generic buff.

Volibear’s spirit will be the Bear Stance: attack buff, aggression.

Unknown Boar God: Defensive, regen, and health buff, this is the only stance that doesn’t get an art or name change.

So these changes aren’t meant to affect his gameplay but they’re there as an update according to his future league kit.

Now regarding Udyr’s balance, this might sound like a hot take but I don’t think Udyr needs that many changes to be viable, he could generate the stances on round start as well for his level 2, his level up condition could be lowered or just buff his base stats.

Right now, a 5 mana 4|4 is just too weak, his stances already put him behind in tempo because of their high mana cost, he’s basically an engine that takes way too long to start running.

That is why I decided to go with a stat change for his level 1 and 2, instead of a 5 mana 4|4, he is now a 5 mana 5|5 that levels into a 6|6.

Now, this is a huge change, 5 health on 5 is much better for survival and the 5 attack can allow him to put more pressure or work with 5+ attack Noxus cards like Reckoning, Bloody Business, Reputation…

This coupled with his champion spell’s change that I suggested should put him in a much better spot in the meta and make him feel overall less weak.

2. Spirits Unleashed

This current spell is one of my least favourite LoR cards in the whole game. It is the LEAST played Freljord CARD currently.

Yes, the 1 damage to the nexus is a trigger for his level up but the mana cost and the additional effect are a total miss.

Game spots where you have Udyr on the board and start going for his gameplan, casting many stances etc…usually create boards where you only have 2 or 3 units total including Udyr. so giving allies +1/+1 truly doesn’t matter, you’re paying 5 mana to get a slow speed Ice Shard…

In his new LoL update, Udyr is getting an “awakened” mechanic, each of his abilities basically has a levelled-up form that’s more powerful. As you can see in these screenshots:

So the goal for his champ spell was to synergize with his stances in some way AND preferably help him level up. I also decided to change the name from Spirits Unleashed to Spirits Awakened. I came up with this:
We’re keeping the nexus damage part for his level up and plunder mechanic while giving it an interesting additional effect.

This works really well with his stances, the “Awakened” form of the stance would be twice as powerful, the Phoenix Stance can now deal 2 to everything, giving Udyr 3 triggers total for his level up, the Ram Stance would give +4|+4 total stats, etc…

Getting an additional Stance cast also works well with his level 2 since he gets +1|+1 for each stance cast.

As you guys know from my last champion design article, champion spell, in my opinion, should also preferably work independently in other decks/archetypes that do not include the champion.

This new version of Udyr’s champion spell should see experimentation in decks with fun combos like with Dawn and Dusk, Promising Future, Tri-Beam etc…

It also works with Winter’s Breath and Avalanche which is very flavorful.

In Udyr’s official story, he caused an explosion of spiritual energy that created a big avalanche.

Casting an Avalanche after Spirits Awakened basically creates a big avalanche that deals 4 to everything which is a cute coincidental flavour.

The only potential issue with this sort of spell is limiting the design of future slow speed spells. I thought about this problem a lot and realised that Karma creates the same design limitations as this new version of Udyr’s champion spell.

Whenever they design a new spell, they probably test it with many cards including Karma, if a spell isn’t problematic with karma’s level 2 then, in most cases, it won’t be a problem with Spirits Awakened.

3. The Tuskraider

There are a lot of expensive followers in LoR that never see play because of how weak their effects are as finishers for their cost. The Tuskraider is Sejuani’s “boat”, a boat is a follower that tutors a specific champion, these are usually expensive and work well with the champion they’re drawing.

Here’s I see things about expensive champion boats

• Like every other expensive follower, they should have some kind of impact on the game state the turn they are played.
• They should put extremely high amounts of pressure when they’re on the board WITH their respective champion.
• Like most other champion boats, they should preferably have a keyword that makes sense with the overall flavour/playstyle.

Let’s take The Leviathan, for example, it’s a, an 8 mana 5|8 follower that draws Swain, it has to Overwhelm and a high attack that can be used to push damage the turn it is played, it also had a burn effect that chips down the enemy nexus on round start.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily put lots of pressure on the board alone BUT when combined with Swain on the board, The Leviathan becomes a finisher in most game states with the triple Swain stuns.

The Dreadway, Gangplank’s boat, is a 4|6 with Fearsome and an effect that impacts the board right away without needing GP. WITH a leveled GP however, it doubles the damage from his attack effect and Overwhelm damage which usually finishes games.

The Tuskraider, Sejuani’s Boat, doesn’t really do anything the turn it is played, it has an engine effect with an 8 mana cost that should be used for units that actually put pressure right away or threaten to finish the game. By the time all the buffed units are drawn, the outcome of the game has usually already been decided.

The Tuskraider has never been a consideration in any Sejuani deck because of the lack of synergy between them which is sad.

I decided to go for a flavourful change that ticks all the boxes I mentioned above

The Tuskraider now has Regeneration with 5|6 as stats. The effect is also much better, no need for the awkward open attack on 8 to get plunder, you can now play it on 8 and start generating value much faster and without losing tempo.

This still works really well in plunder decks. With Sejuani on the board, the value generation from both definitely represents a solid win con in most game states. Damaging the enemy nexus will freeze their board, double the health and power of the top ally in the deck AND draw it.

This change should accelerate games where your boat + champion are set up while keeping the overall flavour of the card.

4. Shatter

Shatter is in the top 10 least played Freljord spells despite being in the game since the start of LoR. It has never received a balance change or redesign, it successfully dodged every Patch note.

It has a very interesting effect since it’s slow, it’s a development punisher that can be used to neutralise an enemy unit, and it works well in combination with frostbite or if the unit already has 0 attack.

The problem with Shatter is that it puts you in scenarios where you end up 2 for 1ing yourself. Let’s compare Shatter to Ravenous Flock:

• 2 mana vs 1 mana.
• Making an enemy unit damaged is much easier to do than reducing it to 0 health, flock is better.
• For Shatter, you need to proactively commit two cards to deal with 1 unit whereas, with Flock, you only need to block(reactivity) with an ally to damage their unit and then remove it.

I decided to make Shatter cost 1 instead of 2 and reduce the damage to 3 when the enemy unit is already at 0 power.

I know that this change doesn’t directly help with the 2 for 1 card advantage issue of Shatter but it helps with the tempo/mana lost when trying to use it with a Frostbite card.

It can now be used as a cheap development punisher, somewhat like Guile with an upside: the flexibility of damaging a 0 attack enemy.

Icevale Archer is a staple Freljord card because of its development punishing effect. Having that same effect for 1 less mana that can be from the spell bank is huge in some decks even without getting the 3|1 body stat line.

Shatter now can also be generated from Coral Creatures and Wiggly Burblefish since it’s in the 1 mana spells pool 🙂

5. Ancestral Boon

Ancestral Boon, I bet if the image of the card wasn’t there, most of you guys wouldn’t have remembered the effect. This card is in the top 4 least played Freljord cards with an insanely low winrate of 37%.

The story behind this card is that if you survive up until you’re enlightened late game (survive the punishing storms) you get rewarded with an effect that lasts for the rest of the game (inner strength that spurs them onward through the rest of their lives). It’s pretty cool lore.

This card’s problem is very similar to The Tuskraider, using 2 mana for basically NO EFFECT that same turn is just a really bad design in my opinion.

Freljord cards are known for giving stats to allies in the deck, but these effects are usually attached to a body so that even if you get the benefits on later turns, you still get to attack/block with the unit( Omen Hawk, Starlight Seer, Avarosan Outriders etc…)

A good example of a spell that has a similar effect is Shared Spoils, it’s a buff to units in the deck but it also does something that same turn by drawing you one of them if you plundered.

It’s fairly simple, the same philosophy should be applied to Ancestral Boon, that’s why I came up with this change:

On top of the buff, it now draws 1 in its first effect or 2 when enlightened. Naturally, the cost had to be nerfed to 3 mana for the draw.

I also felt that the effect needed to not draw the buffed ally (like Shared Spoils) because of how dangerous tutors can be for this low mana cost.

This change keeps its core flavour while making it actually useful and worth experimenting with in some archetypes.

6. Avarosan Marksman

Avarosan Marksman is also a card from the foundation set that isn’t seeing play at all, it’s in the top 10 least played Freljord units.

For the OGs out there, yes Avarosan Marskman was in a tier 1 deck during the first few months after LoR’s release, it fits in a specific deck but nowhere else. It was Ezreal Frejlord with Elnuks.

It was used solely because it targets an enemy and counts for Ezreal’s level up. I remember Avarosan Marksman being cut from this archetype a few weeks after it became meta, that’s how bad the card was, even back then.

It’s a 3 mana card with 1 health and a restricted effect that only deals 1 to an enemy unit, that is nowhere near enough power level to see play in ANY deck, it wouldn’t even fit in meme decks.

This is the change that I’m suggesting, the difference between a 3 mana 3|1 and 3|2 is huge, being able to survive Pokey Stick, Vile Feast, Withering Wail etc… is crucial.

The play effect now deals 1 to ANYTHING. This includes allies and any nexus. This might seem like a light change on paper but the difference it makes is incredibly high.

Being able to deal 1 damage to the enemy nexus works really well with Frejlord or Bilgewater archetypes, here are a couple of cards/synergies this enables:

• Enables Plunder
• Works with champions like Sejuani, Udyr, Gangplank, Swain etc…
• Works with the new transform mechanic that relies on damaging the enemy nexus.

I can now see Avarosan Marksman played in Swain Decks, or Noxus decks, in general, to damage enemy units and enable Ravenous Flock, Scorched Earth etc… In Sejuani/ GP decks, Transform archetypes, or even the same old Freljord Ezreal archetype.

Not every change needs to change the card from unplayable to staple/meta-defining. This is meant to move Avarosan Marksman from totally unplayable to a card worth considering in different archetypes.

The rest of these changes are pretty much self-explanatory so I won’t be writing as much for them.

7. Caught in the Cold

This has always been in my topmost underrated cards in the whole game, it’s a consideration in midrange Freljord decks as a solid removal tool that can also have synergy with frostbite and can be used as a development punisher on defence.

Giving back the action to the opponent in Runeterra can change the whole outcome of that turn. Changing it from slow to focus is a major change that should help the card see play in many Freljord decks.

8.Warmother’s Call

This card saw play in LoR’s closed beta in the most dominant deck but also maintained its competitive viability for many months after. But that was until Feel The Rush was released, it just completely replaced it.

Why would you pay the exact same cost for a very similar effect, one of them finishes the game and the other drags it out.

Warmother’s Call also has a MUCH HIGHER deck-building cost than Feel the Rush. It clearly makes no sense for them to be at the same mana cost.

9. Icy Yeti

Icy Yeti is a foundation card that has never actually seen play in any deck I can remember. It’s a Yeti that doesn’t even make it in full-on roleplaying Yeti decks because of its weak power level.

Making it 6 mana instead of 7 should make it a solid consideration in Yeti decks, Frostbite archetypes, or even as a standalone value card.

10. Feral Mystic

Feral Mystic is another old card that needs some love. This is a spirit walker, like Udyr, that loses control and fully becomes a beast at the end (enlightened).

Making this a 2|3 should make it viable as an early game unit that is also a great buff target. It could seep play in overwhelm decks or some Freljord control/midrange ramp archetype.

Freljord is my favourite region so I’ve really enjoyed making all these changes, hopefully, you also enjoyed reading about them!

Feel free to DM me on Twitter if you have any questions or just want to talk about LoR stuff!

The post 10 Freljord Card Changes Proposed by Kuvira appeared first on Mobalytics.

The new patch is here and with it brings a bunch of changes to shake things up. We’ve even been given three new cards to help patch up a few regions! While most big patches come in the form of expansions, every now and then we’re given some major changes to the current card pool.

But with the majority of the changes being nerfs, there are only so many buffed archetypes to explore. Or is there?

If you’re feeling stuck and don’t know what to play, I’m here to help.

It’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and today we’re gonna discuss a mindset to approaching a new metagame.

What’s Your Objective?

Before we jump in, it’s important to ask yourself what you want from the experience. If you couldn’t care less about rank, winning, or losing, then by all means play whatever you like! However, I’m going to go off the assumption that many of us do strive to win, at least in some fashion. Even if you’re not aiming for the top of the ladder, we’d still like to win.

Perhaps you’re somewhere in the middle. I myself enjoy messing around with new concepts initially, but then reach a point where I’ve satisfied that itch, then decides to narrow in on what works. But even in this state, the meta is still being discovered. Things change, and what worked yesterday may no longer be ideal today.

Beyond simply winning and losing, there are further objectives to consider. For instance, some players enjoy the deck-building process. The act of brewing multiple decks in hopes to create the next big thing can be exciting. However, other players would rather try out all the cool new decks instead of spending the time to build on their own. Then there are players trying to take advantage of the fresh ladder by playing well-known, optimized decks.

This may not capture the entire spectrum, but hopefully, it’ll give you a good baseline to consider. Without further ado, let’s take a look at five ways to explore a new metagame.

Play “The Deck”

Once a patch goes live, it doesn’t take long until the “hot new deck” starts to emerge. Regardless of how good it is, there’s always at least a deck or two that we dive right into. This is especially true during expansions with new mechanics to try out but also applies when buffs occur to older cards. And it makes sense because it’s usually the most exciting, at least on the surface. In today’s time, it’s Mono Shurima.

Now playing the new deck does have its perks. First off, it’s often a newer strategy, or it’s changed enough that players aren’t accustomed to its play patterns. This can give you an edge since opponents will need to adapt. Additionally, since many others are playing the archetype, you’ll often learn what works versus what doesn’t a lot quicker. It’s a lot easier to find a refined list when everyone plays it.

On the flip side, sometimes the new deck just isn’t good, and it can be hard to judge win rates effectively at the beginning. If you’re trying to climb the ladder, you may want a little more evidence before investing too much time on the deck. While it IS possible the “hot new deck” is actually insane (Kennen Ezreal, RIP), it could also be a complete flop (expansion-launch Dragons).

There’s certainly potential to find success here. However, just know that if the deck IS really good, people are going to catch on and adapt quickly. You won’t be able to farm easy wins for long.

Innovate

Sometimes a single small change can make a huge difference. Just look at Azir! While that’s a more extreme example, more subtle changes can actually be just as impactful. We just have to find them.

Viktor and Aphelios have certainly opened some new doors. Viktor was previously fringe playable at best, but is now seeing experimentation in multiple archetypes. Aphelios has returned to his former state, except the rework to Crescendum drastically changes how we build around him. I don’t think we can definitely state their best decks thus far, so that goes to show how much potential there is to innovate.

It’s not easy, especially when the meta is evolving. However, if you do manage to discover something awesome, you’ll be greatly rewarded for it!

Exploit the Trends

We’re moving more into competitive territory with this one, except adding a splash of spice. In the early days of a new meta we can often start to identify trends. When players don’t know what to play, many just pick up and try the popular new deck(s). Want to capitalize on this? Build to counter them! If you caught the first days of this patch, you likely encountered two decks more frequently.

1. Mono Shurima
2. Scorched Earth/Divergent Paths deck

This actually happens, but only to a certain extent. Things change fast, so you’ll need to be ready to adapt. If you’re good at identifying these shifts you can give yourself great odds on the ladder. It helps if there’s one or two popular decks that you can prey on at once, but so long as one archetype holds a great enough meta share, it can be worth it.

Test Old Favorites

Just because your old favorite archetype didn’t receive any buffs doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying. In fact, a lot of past decks often tread around tier 2-3, and could perform well under the right conditions. With other decks getting nerfed, it could help clear a path for an old deck to shine.

It’s important to understand the weaknesses of the deck. Some archetypes have inherent disadvantages, regardless of the metagame they encounter. Try to identify whether the nerfed decks were the key to holding it back. Or ask yourself what most impacted the deck in the first place. Did the deck receive its own nerfs a while back? Does the strategy no longer function reliably with the addition of certain cards? With a few honest questions, you may already have your answer. But if all seems promising, feel free to give the deck a shot!

Tried and True

While not the most glamorous option, if your goal is to climb, often the best choice is to go with good ol’ faithful. Unless a deck gets completely gutted, you’ll usually find at least some success with the well-established, refined archetypes. This isn’t to say they’re positioned well into the meta, but when experimentation is at an all time high, we can capitalize on efficiency over theory. They are good decks for a reason.

These are just two examples, but there’s plenty of others to choose from. The ideal choice is going to be something proactive. It’s much easier to present the threats and define the pace of the game during a fresh field. Trying to answer and control a game state isn’t very effective when we don’t know what to expect.

If you stick with a few of these you’ll likely find great success on the ladder. While some won’t fare well into the new popular archetypes, there’ll likely be at least one or two that do. That gives you favorable odds into the popular deck AND maximum consistency into all the random unrefined decks. Take advantage of it while you can!

Conclusion: Understand the Inconsistencies

When it comes to a new patch, it’s important to take things with a grain of salt and understand the inconsistencies. The deck you play could be incredible one day, then feel like garbage the next day. When we’re all exploring how things work, it’s hard to get an accurate read on what works. Remember that many of the decks you defeat you’ll never see again.

Despite all this, enjoy the experience for what it is! Fresh metagames don’t last forever, and they’re some of the best times to play the game. At least have some fun before we start complaining again.. 😉

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

If you’re ever unsure of what motivates you, ask yourself, “What gives me energy on the most exhausting of days?”.

Your true passion will often reveal itself. How can you use it to your advantage?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this guide, check out the rest of Shugo’s articles.

The post How to Adapt to A New LoR Meta appeared first on Mobalytics.