Welcome to TLG’s second meta snapshot for Legends of Runeterra, a series in which we give you our insight on the most represented decks in the higher ranks of ladder. We plan on releasing those every Monday, but we made an exception for this one, as we wanted to address the controversy around the hot topic that Burn is at the moment.
Although people are still experimenting with the cards, a clear meta has started to settle. We are here today to discuss the decks that are part of that meta, and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.
Most decks in the snapshot were featured in our previous analysis, but there have been changes to both the decklists and their ratings, which we will comment on. New decks have also made their way to the snapshot, taking the place of some of the previous lists.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop by our Discord. We will catch you next week for a new analysis.
Writing: Froggy0
Editing: Wusubi, Minuano
Consultants: 209209, Daylt0n, GdayMaverick, Jrody, Kozmic, Redrufus10, RiceFT, Saucekay, SirLoathing, Taytwo38, Ultraman1996, Zezetel
Table of Contents
Champless Burn (4.5 stars)
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Champless Burn is the most aggressive deck in the meta, able to close games out by Turn 5. The deck has gained a lot of power with the inclusion of Imperial Demolitionist and Noxian Fervor, making it more consistent than ever. However, one thing hasn’t changed: if you don’t manage to win the game by Turn 7, you’re most likely going to lose.
Rating change: +0.5 stars
Draven has been cut from the list because he has become too slow for it, falling prey to removal before causing your opponent to lose HP. The deck is only looking to go for the throat, punishing every deck that hasn’t teched against it. Every single card in the deck is here to get damage in as soon as it gets played.
And so, the cheapest deck in the meta, without a single champion or epic card, has also become the best, preventing many slower strategies from even existing.
This conclusion is to be taken with a grain of salt though, as the deck’s overall dominance differs between the servers. There is one major difference between NA and EU - the Endure Spiders deck sees a lot of play in EU, being a popular option within certain communities. The deck is a natural predator of Burn and as such, the Aggro population has been reduced to a more acceptable number.
On the EU server, the meta looks like a game of rock-paper-scissors. Aggro preys on greedy control lists, but is being kept in check by all the SI decks and their early board presence, healing and removal tools. The SI lists that are here to answer Burn get out-valued by other control decks playing with Ionia, which can freely unfold their game plan, having Deny and Will of Ionia to protect themselves against Atrocity.
If such a meta came to develop on the NA server as well, where Burn is currently unrivaled, we may see a change in the people’s opinion of the deck. With that said, we still decided to give Burn the crown, at least for the time being.
Mono-Demacia (4.25 stars)
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This deck embodies the concept of Midrange, dominating the early/mid-stages of the game and closing it out through sheer board presence. Cards with the Challenger keyword alongside buffs allow you to make favorable trades to win the early game. From there, the deck will snowball quickly, turning into an unstoppable force that will crush even its fellow countrymen, as it is a great answer to most Scout decks.
Rating change: -0.25 stars
Although the deck was number 1 last week, it didn’t end up being omnipresent. It’s still one of the best decks in the game, having decent matchups across the boad. Unyielding Spirit has been cut from most lists, being too slow/high-investment, and people are now experimenting with splashes like Vi or Deny to adapt to the meta.
Heimer-Vi (4.25 stars)
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Donger’s back, but this time he has found himself a new partner in Vi, who’s ready to destroy Midrange players. Be careful, as once your HP gets too low, the pressure starts to get to her head. Keep an eye on Burn decks, as they tend to catch her off-guard. It’s not all about Vi though - don’t sleep on Donger for the extra pressure and the combo comebacks on Turn 5!
Rating change: +0.5 stars
The updated list from Alanzq has been soaring in popularity this week. It now stands as one of the better control decks, alongside Endure Spiders and CorVina.
Endure Spiders (4.25 stars)
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What could be more fun than creating swarms of spiders, only to use them as sacrifices for a gigantic They Who Endure? When the opportunity to one-shot the opponent arises, don’t forget your Fury of the North for some extra surprise burst. Find the right timing for your Atrocity and profit!
Two different builds exist for Endure Spiders. There is a variation which only runs Elise (sometimes Kalista too) going more into the SI allegiance with Wraithcaller, Barkbeast and Neverglade Collector.
The list we are showcasing, made by our teammate Ultraman1996 (aka Alessio) is the most popular and more importantly the most effective iteration of the deck in this meta.
CorVina Control (4 stars)
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With lots of removal and healing at its disposal, this Corina list featuring Vi is a wonderful counter to aggro decks. It can struggle a bit when dealing with other control decks, against which pressuring your opponent with spiders will be key, before ending the game with the Ledros-Atrocity combo.
The deck is still popular and doing quite well on ladder, but it’s predictable and has one major weakness compared to the control decks rated at 4.25 stars. Vi and Brood Awakening aside, you don’t have many proactive options available between Turns 5 to 8, which leaves other decks an opening for their own maneuvers.
Karma-Ezreal (3.75 stars)
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Stalling out the game by removing enemy units allows you to survive and work towards your Ezreal’s level-up condition. Once he’s flipped, combine him with a leveled-up Karma to burst your opponent from 20 to 0 in only a handful of spells. Even if you haven’t managed to flip Ezreal, Karma duplicating burn spells can give you enough reach.
Rating change: -0.25 stars
Although this deck was one of the kings of pre-release LoR, it’s slowly but surely falling off. The list has potential, but needs to be reinvented if it’s to ever return to its former glory. While it’s a powerful pick against other control decks, in its current form it just struggles to keep up with Aggro and Midrange.
Karma-Lux (3.75 stars)
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Karma-Lux is back and stronger than ever. With the addition of Eye of the Dragon, Loyal Badgerbear & Grizzled Ranger, the deck has an actual curve apart from playing Remembrance on Turn 3. This allows you to put pressure on the board early on, before safely dropping Lux on Turn 6.
Once Karma levels up, you can generate Final Sparks extremely easily thanks to the double casts, which also causes the spell itself to be cast twice. The Overwhelm keyword from Final Sparks will end games promptly, dealing more damage than there are Lux skins in League of Legends.
Originally pioneered by BruisedByGod, this list is teched against Burn, with 3 copies of Health Potion, Eye of the Dragon and Radiant Guardian for maximum survivability. Its matchups are similar to Karma-Ezreal, hence why they share the same star rating.
Quinn-MF (3.5 stars)
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Even though they hail from different lands, Quinn and Miss Fortune share the same passion: attacking their opponent until there is no one left standing. This aggressive deck takes advantage of Demacia’s rally tools to chain attack phases, allowing our two flamboyant ladies to level up at lightning speed.
Rating change: -0.25 stars
This deck performed really well during the first week after release, but people are getting used to it and are not caught off-guard anymore. The list itself has adapted, including more Bilgewater cards and moving away from the Bannerman package, which makes it a lot more unique.
Sea Monsters (3.5 stars)
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If you enjoy having explosive turns where you can jam tons of huge units, you should definitely play this deck! It aims to survive the early game with healing, while working towards getting deep by tossing cards. Once you get there, you can stabilize the board using large sea monsters and put your opponent on a clock when Maokai levels up. However, as with great power comes great mana cost, Will of Ionia can prove to be a serious threat.
Rating change: +0.5 stars
The list has been tweaked a lot and is starting to become more and more effective. The actual number of Sea Monsters has drastically diminished. Instead, the deck is becoming value-oriented and can surprise its opponents with Mist’s Call, Atrocity or even The Ruination.
Rex Control (3.5 stars)
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Riptide Rex sure knows how to get the job done. Damage the enemy Nexus, then watch him destroy your opponent’s board, life total or both. The core of the deck is similar to what you could find in a typical Keg control list. Use removal spells empowered by Powder Kegs to get rid of most threats, while setting-up your game plan. Yordle Grifter creates Warning Shots in your hand, allowing Rex to reap the rewards. All of that for a drop of blood?
The list includes the Plunder package, but there are many different variations of this deck out there. Some people run greedier piles, trying to one-shot their opponent with The Dreadway-Ledros combo, others just take the word “control” out of the deck’s name and start going face with Piltover & Zaun cards like Boomcrew Rookie.
Elusives Rally (3 stars)
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The Elusives list that took over the ladder during the last days of the beta is still a popular choice as a deck to climb with. You keep passing until Turn 3, where you drop Solitary Monk, Zed or Fiora in combination with Stand Alone to go in for a big swing. You have the tools to protect and buff the unit you invested in and you can close games out quickly through multiple attacks enabled by Relentless Pursuit.
Rating change: -0.25 stars
Originally created by Swim, this is what you could call a highroll deck. There are times when it will get the perfect hand and feel unbeatable, and times when it will be the other way around.
This inconsistency keeps the deck from standing out, but it can get wins by catching people off-guard, as most players are preferring to tech their decks against bigger fish.