Welcome to TLG’s newest meta snapshot for Legends of Runeterra, a series in which we give you our insight on the best decks in the higher ranks of the ladder.
Every Sunday, we discuss the decks that are part of the week’s meta and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. We also look at the evolution of said decks’ ratings across weeks and draw conclusions regarding the current state of the game, all of this so you can delve into your own ranked journey with a head start.
The meta this week saw the addition of GP-MF and Lux-ASol, a couple of the best performing decks on the ladder. Overall, the changes to deck ratings from last week are minimal. According to the ratings given by our team, there currently aren’t any Tier 3 decks in the NA region. This means that most of the presented decks are quite competitive. Greedier decks like ASol-Trundle are seeing less play, most likely due to the rise of Gangplank decks and the persistence of MF Scouts.
Editing: Crixuz, Sebodunum, ShadowplayRed, Wusubi
EU Consultants: Dartill, Kuvira, Minuano, NicMakesPlays, Taytwo38, Ultraman_CCG, Zezetel
NA Consultants: Glop, IPingUListen, NicMakesPlays, RattlingBones, RiceFT, Saucekay
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Lux’s core fits in well with the ASol late game, offering you multiple options of both healing and removal, while maintaining a presence on the board at all times. While making up for Targon’s biggest weakness, the Concerted Strike and Single Combat will help you deal with most of the threats Midrange and Aggro possess.
Radiant Guardian and Starshaping ensure that you’ll survive until a crazy Invoke or ASol finishes the game. (Deck via TealRed)
Rating change: New deck
Lux-ASol is solid against everything on the ladder except for Warmother. This deck represents a lot of healing in the form of Radiant Guardian, Starshaping, and Guiding Touch. It’s rated more favorably in NA because there is less Warmother running around in this region.
We have also opted to remove ASol-Trundle from this week’s meta snapshot because we’re seeing less and less of it. It’s still seeing some play in the lower ranks, but it looks like more and more players are converting to either Lux-ASol or Warmother.
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GP-MF is an aggressive Burn deck that has come back in style as of late. The deck currently runs Jack, the Winner that has an impressive statline which sees very few punishes as your Turn 5 play. Jack, the Winner’s ability creates a free card that allows you to deal 2 damage for free the following turn, while enabling Gangplank.
With Jack, the Winner atop of all the previous arsenal that GP-MF is used to having, this deck quickly approaches critical mass in terms of Burn potential. Every card represents some form of reach, which can be truly terrifying to play against.
Rating change: New deck
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While surprising, this list utilizes the best cards out of most of Bilgewater’s decks. Ravenous Flock and Guillotine from Swain-TF, the Nab package from EZ-TF and the early game pressure from the Aggro version of GP-TF.
It’s a “jack of all trades” in terms of sheer consistency, continuously refilling your hand with both aggressive and control options, including several incredible removals. (Deck via Ultraman_CCG)
Rating change: Unchanged
Three things have helped GP-TF in becoming one of the best decks in the meta. First of all, Ravenous Flock and Guillotine are some of the best removals; secondly, having an aggressive strategy is very important given the prevalence of ASol. And finally, the Nab package provides the deck with some serious stamina.
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Nightfall is an aggressive deck with many tools to kill its opponents, but unlike a traditional “Aggro” deck, it generates sufficient value to sustain itself in the long run, allowing you to attain clutch wins in the late game. It will take some time to learn how to pilot this deck well, since it requires a lot of decision making and planning ahead.
Manage your resources wisely, get a little creative with Nightfall enablers (the incredibly powerful Stalking Shadows being one of them) and you will be rewarded by this sleeper-OP deck. (Deck via Ultraman_CCG)
Rating change: Unchanged
This week, we have updated the list to include Atrocity as a more reliable and consistent finisher.
The deck is often wrongly characterized as an Aggro deck, but it’s actually a Midrange deck. It has the ability to pressure, which signals the opponent to wipe your board. Plus you have cards like Stalking Shadows and Pale Cascade, which are self-replacing. You end up in scenarios where you’re trading units one-for-one, while you are also refueling your hands while dealing two-three chip damage at a time.
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Swain’s threat levels are off the charts, forcing removals and terrifying your opponents at the mere thought of him hitting their Nexus once. With many early game removal cards and the extra damage granted by the kegs, Swain will always be leveled-up. What’s more, you’ll have access to him in the late game thanks to The Leviathan.
Rating change: +0.25 stars
The main problem with the deck is that it’s too reliant on The Leviathan and thus loses super hard to Targon. However, the deck has benefited from ASol-Trundle losing popularity.
It’s still being eclipsed by GP-TF, which has a better Turn 1 and 2 plays (like Jagged Butcher into Hired Gun). Early game tempo is incredibly important against the two GP decks, as Swain-TF doesn’t have a 1-drop and is otherwise just too slow.
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Ramping is trending, and who could make a better use of that than Warmother’s Call? This terrifying spell will overwhelm your opponent with huge monsters, but it comes at a big cost of 12 Mana. Use your AoEs at the right time to survive the early game and let Trundle stabilize your board until the call is made! (Deck via AlanZQ)
Rating change: Unchanged
With so many Aggro decks running rampant on ladder, Warmother is an anti-meta option with lots of healing and AoE at its disposal. The deck also has many answers (in the form of Vengeance + Vile Feast to pop Spellshield) to non-Aggro decks like Swain-TF and Lux-ASol.
The motive of the deck, along with Vile Feast, Withering Wail and Grasp should make Warmother good against Aggro decks, but the reality is that the deck can brick a lot with Tryndamere, Catalyst of Aeons and Warmother’s Call.
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Tempo Endure combines a great early game with a nearly unbeatable late game combo. Start off by swarming the board with your cheap units, before applying pressure on your opponent with big tempo plays revolving around Barkbeast, Cursed Keeper and a Sacrifice enabler.
During the mid game, keep up the pressure with Wraithcaller and Kalista, who both put in tremendous work. If your opponent somehow manages to stabilize the board, the joke’s on them, since They Who Endure finishes the job. (Deck via Precipic)
Rating change: Unchanged
The deck can highroll with Barkbeast, Cursed Keeper and Ravenous Butcher, sometimes becoming undefeatable. Besides that, Endure doesn’t have any heavily-favored matchup. Against Targon, the pressure from Hush alone can make you lose the game, unless you have multiple copies of They Who Endure in hand.
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This deck embodies the concept of Midrange, dominating the early to 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.
Rating change: +0.25 stars
MF Scouts stands in stark contrast to Warmother. The deck is easy to pilot and excels in never bricking. If your opponent bricks, it’s usually a free win. However, the fact that MF Scouts is so linear makes it so that the opponent always knows what to expect.
The deck also doesn’t have the ability to refill your hand and games can feel deterministic; you either win because you have the necessary cards and your opponent doesn’t, or you just lose.
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Fast & Furious, this deck doesn’t have the time to play around. Throw away your whole hand and take advantage of the freebies on your Discard-oriented cards and hope for the best. With Draven as Dominic Toretto and Jinx as Leticia Ortiz, call your friends and start the race.
Brothers’ Bond and Vision will serve as the nitro in your engine; get some and you’ll power up your cards. With this deck, it’s hit or miss, so get ready for explosive wins along with absolutely devastating defeats.
Rating change: New deck
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While surprising, this list utilizes the best cards out of most of Bilgewater’s decks. Ravenous Flock and Guillotine from Swain-TF, the Nab package from EZ-TF and the early game pressure from the Aggro version of GP-TF.
It’s a “jack of all trades” in terms of sheer consistency, continuously refilling your hand with both aggressive and control options, including several incredible removals. (Deck via Ultraman_CCG)
Rating change: Unchanged
Three things have helped GP-TF in becoming one of the best decks in the meta. First of all, Ravenous Flock and Guillotine are some of the best removals; secondly, having an aggressive strategy is very important given the prevalence of ASol. And finally, the Nab package provides the deck with some serious stamina.
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Lux’s core fits in well with the ASol late game, offering you multiple options of both healing and removal, while maintaining a presence on the board at all times. While making up for Targon’s biggest weakness, the Concerted Strike and Single Combat will help you deal with most of the threats Midrange and Aggro possess.
Radiant Guardian and Starshaping ensure that you’ll survive until a crazy Invoke or ASol finishes the game. (Deck via TealRed)
Rating change: New deck
Lux-ASol is solid against everything on the ladder except for Warmother. This deck represents a lot of healing in the form of Radiant Guardian, Starshaping, and Guiding Touch. It’s rated more favorably in NA because there is less Warmother running around in this region.
We have also opted to remove ASol-Trundle from this week’s meta snapshot because we’re seeing less and less of it. It’s still seeing some play in the lower ranks, but it looks like more and more players are converting to either Lux-ASol or Warmother.
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GP-MF is an aggressive Burn deck that has come back in style as of late. The deck currently runs Jack, the Winner that has an impressive statline which sees very few punishes as your Turn 5 play. Jack, the Winner’s ability creates a free card that allows you to deal 2 damage for free the following turn, while enabling Gangplank.
With Jack, the Winner atop of all the previous arsenal that GP-MF is used to having, this deck quickly approaches critical mass in terms of Burn potential. Every card represents some form of reach, which can be truly terrifying to play against.
Rating change: New deck
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Nightfall is an aggressive deck with many tools to kill its opponents, but unlike a traditional “Aggro” deck, it generates sufficient value to sustain itself in the long run, allowing you to attain clutch wins in the late game. It will take some time to learn how to pilot this deck well, since it requires a lot of decision making and planning ahead.
Manage your resources wisely, get a little creative with Nightfall enablers (the incredibly powerful Stalking Shadows being one of them) and you will be rewarded by this sleeper-OP deck. (Deck via Ultraman_CCG)
Rating change: Unchanged
This week, we have updated the list to include Atrocity as a more reliable and consistent finisher.
The deck is often wrongly characterized as an Aggro deck, but it’s actually a Midrange deck. It has the ability to pressure, which signals the opponent to wipe your board. Plus you have cards like Stalking Shadows and Pale Cascade, which are self-replacing. You end up in scenarios where you’re trading units one-for-one, while you are also refueling your hands while dealing two-three chip damage at a time.
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Swain’s threat levels are off the charts, forcing removals and terrifying your opponents at the mere thought of him hitting their Nexus once. With many early game removal cards and the extra damage granted by the kegs, Swain will always be leveled-up. What’s more, you’ll have access to him in the late game thanks to The Leviathan.
Rating change: +0.25 stars
The main problem with the deck is that it’s too reliant on The Leviathan and thus loses super hard to Targon. However, the deck has benefited from ASol-Trundle losing popularity.
It’s still being eclipsed by GP-TF, which has a better Turn 1 and 2 plays (like Jagged Butcher into Hired Gun). Early game tempo is incredibly important against the two GP decks, as Swain-TF doesn’t have a 1-drop and is otherwise just too slow.
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Ramping is trending, and who could make a better use of that than Warmother’s Call? This terrifying spell will overwhelm your opponent with huge monsters, but it comes at a big cost of 12 Mana. Use your AoEs at the right time to survive the early game and let Trundle stabilize your board until the call is made! (Deck via AlanZQ)
Rating change: Unchanged
With so many Aggro decks running rampant on ladder, Warmother is an anti-meta option with lots of healing and AoE at its disposal. The deck also has many answers (in the form of Vengeance + Vile Feast to pop Spellshield) to non-Aggro decks like Swain-TF and Lux-ASol.
The motive of the deck, along with Vile Feast, Withering Wail and Grasp should make Warmother good against Aggro decks, but the reality is that the deck can brick a lot with Tryndamere, Catalyst of Aeons and Warmother’s Call.
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Tempo Endure combines a great early game with a nearly unbeatable late game combo. Start off by swarming the board with your cheap units, before applying pressure on your opponent with big tempo plays revolving around Barkbeast, Cursed Keeper and a Sacrifice enabler.
During the mid game, keep up the pressure with Wraithcaller and Kalista, who both put in tremendous work. If your opponent somehow manages to stabilize the board, the joke’s on them, since They Who Endure finishes the job. (Deck via Precipic)
Rating change: Unchanged
The deck can highroll with Barkbeast, Cursed Keeper and Ravenous Butcher, sometimes becoming undefeatable. Besides that, Endure doesn’t have any heavily-favored matchup. Against Targon, the pressure from Hush alone can make you lose the game, unless you have multiple copies of They Who Endure in hand.
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This deck embodies the concept of Midrange, dominating the early to 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.
Rating change: +0.25 stars
MF Scouts stands in stark contrast to Warmother. The deck is easy to pilot and excels in never bricking. If your opponent bricks, it’s usually a free win. However, the fact that MF Scouts is so linear makes it so that the opponent always knows what to expect.
The deck also doesn’t have the ability to refill your hand and games can feel deterministic; you either win because you have the necessary cards and your opponent doesn’t, or you just lose.
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Fast & Furious, this deck doesn’t have the time to play around. Throw away your whole hand and take advantage of the freebies on your Discard-oriented cards and hope for the best. With Draven as Dominic Toretto and Jinx as Leticia Ortiz, call your friends and start the race.
Brothers’ Bond and Vision will serve as the nitro in your engine; get some and you’ll power up your cards. With this deck, it’s hit or miss, so get ready for explosive wins along with absolutely devastating defeats.
Rating change: New deck
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This deck revolves around a combo that many of us would be familiar with; Commander Ledros and Atrocity. This list has been performing quite well and is very good at what it does. The addition of Trundle helps to address the problem with Ledros decks when they don’t draw him.
A flipped Trundle can quickly amass a lot of power and Trundle + Atrocity ensures that the deck isn’t entirely reliant on drawing Ledros to succeed. It plays a bit like Warmother, so give it a shot if you like ramp decks with a combo finisher. (Deck via Mtuck)
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Garen Elites is a Midrange Bannermen deck. It runs cards like Battlesmith that grant your Elites +1/+1, and cards that synergize greatly with Elites, such as Vanguard Squire and For the Fallen. If left unanswered, Battlesmith and Vanguard Bannerman can generate a ton of value, making it impossible for the opponent to match your cheap, high statted, wide board.
If you enjoy Bannermen or tribal style decks, you are going to have a blast with this one. It’s also easy to pick up, which is great for newcomers. (Deck via Glop)