Advanced Guides | Mastering Runeterra

Learning How to Learn: Resource Management

There are three main resources in LoR: Mana, Cards and Health. How you manage them is the key to victory, as Yangzera explains in this strategy guide.

Yangzera May 18, 2022

What Our Pros are Playing

LoR Seasonal Lineups — These are the Mastering Runeterra pro players’ recommendations!

Jason Fleurant May 12, 2022

Lee Sin Viktor – The Slow Grind

Lee Sin Viktor is the new control deck being played in masters! Let Sirturmund walk you through this deck and how to approach playing it.

Sirturmund April 16, 2022

Riven Viktor – A Glorious Combo

It’s a glorious day for Viktor and Riven enjoyers, Patch 3.4.0 heralds the evolution of one of the many Noxus P&Z archetypes.

CardGamer April 13, 2022

Deck Guide: A-Fae-lios

A hot new tempo deck is making a splash on ladder. Monte dives in to let you know all of Fizz A-Fae-lios’ angles!

MonteXristo April 8, 2022

Overwhelmingly Awesome: A Guide to Frozen Darius Gnar

Do you like smashing face even through blockers? Maybenextime may have just the deck for you! Dive in and learn everything you need to know.

Maybenextime April 6, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Azir Irelia

Leer lays out the vast power of Azir Irelia, why it’s especially good right now, and how to pilot it with grace and precision.

Leer April 4, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons, First Friday Edition

From the new Viktor blends to the Old Dogs that are still doing great, everything for the sophisticated part-time ladderista

Herko Kerghans April 1, 2022

Day One Decks – Five new decks to try out for Patch 3.4.0!

New patch? New decks! As part of Riot’s “Balance Experiment”, this patch we not only get nerfs and buffs, but also three new cards to try!

Shadawx March 30, 2022

Learning New Decks: Mastery Curves (in collaboration with Legna)

In this data-deep article bA1ance shows how many games on average it takes to reach a new deck’s expected mean winrate, and how you may be denying yourself an advantage by not trying to learn new decks!

bA1ance March 29, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons – Eighteen High-Performance Blends for the Discerning Ladder Climber

From the Meta Staples to Exotic Medleys, everything for the sophisticated part-time ladderista

Herko Kerghans March 25, 2022

So, you want to build a deck?

Monte illustrates the process of deck brewing & refining by taking Miss Fortune Renekton to the Ladder.

MonteXristo March 23, 2022

Fizz Lulu Yordles in Arms (BC/PZ) – A Deck You Shouldn’t Be Forgetting About

Card Gamer breaks down the often-forgotten Fizz Lulu Yordles in Arms, recently remembered and boasting impressive results

CardGamer March 22, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Aphelios Lux

Leer breaks down this novel Aphelios deck, sharing tips and insights from his exchange with “Between Worlds” Seasonal Champion Painas

Leer March 19, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons, March 18 – Twenty-Two Top-Shelf Blends for the Discerning Ladder Climber

From the Popular & Powerful to the Truly Rare, everything for the sophisticated part-time ladderista

Herko Kerghans March 18, 2022

Fizz Riven Papercraft Combo: A Deck Guide

bA1lance shows how to refine and optimize a deck, based on data and playtesting, and provides a detailed guide for this Combo archetype

bA1ance March 16, 2022

Feel the (slow) Burn: A Caitlyn Ezreal Guide

After a leave of absence from the metagame, this archetype is back as a viable tournament and ladder deck.

Maybenextime March 15, 2022

Deck Guide: Trundle Gnar, aka Gnarlines

Monte shares his insights and personal decklist for one of his weapons of choice this Season: Trundle Gnar, aka Gnarlines.

MonteXristo March 13, 2022

Deck Guide: Swain Gnar

Need to slap some pesky Demacia Rally decks? Then let Jasensational tell you all about the exploits of the Noxian Grand General and his (new) furry best friend.

Jasensational March 12, 2022

How to Frustrate Opponents and Kick Ass: A Lee Sin Primer

Seasonal Champion and top Lee Sin pilot MajiinBae shares his insights on one of the most powerful tournament decks of all time

MajiinBae March 10, 2022

Sejuani Gnar Bandle – Value Galore!

Sejuani Gnar Bandle has mediocre performance and bad matchup tables… but Sirturmund believes that’s because pilots are playing the deck incorrectly, or playing unoptimized lists.

Sirturmund March 9, 2022

Deck Guide: Jayce Heimer Shadows

Jasensational shares his tips and tricks for one of his weapons of choice this season, featuring his favorite Champ: the bright, hirsute Prof. Heimerdinger

Jasensational March 6, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons, March 4 — Twenty-Two High-Performance Blends for the Discerning Ladder Climber

From Meta Staples to the Risky and Rare, everything for the cultured part-time ladderista.

Herko Kerghans March 4, 2022

Getting (Paper)Crafty: A Guide to Akshan Gnar

Maybenextime breaks down his (currently) favorite OTK deck, Akshan Gnar, with detailed matchup & mulligan tips

Maybenextime March 3, 2022

The 3 reasons why you suck at deckbuilding

Hint: you’re trying too hard to be cute.

MajiinBae March 2, 2022

Udyr Tahm Kench – Unleashing Power of Regeneration

Sirturmund believes this is the best Udyr deck you can play right now — this in-depth guide covers everything from card description to detailed mulligan & matchup tips.

Sirturmund March 1, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Pantheon Yuumi

Pantheon Yuumi is quietly one of the best decks in the upcoming metagame. In this guide, Leer shows how the archetype functions, how to mulligan, and how to beat each matchup.

Leer February 27, 2022

Breaking Tristana: A Faeries Deck Guide

Maybenextime breaks down the deck he took to Masters this week, and that is taking the ladder by storm.

Maybenextime February 25, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons — Sixteen Top-Performing Blends for the Discerning Part-Time Ladderista.

Yes, indeed: fairly gnarly half of them.

Yet only one gnarly deck in the top three!

Herko Kerghans February 25, 2022

Sirturmund’s & Monte’s Bo3 Lineup Recommendations, Feb 24

The ladder may be Gnar, Gnar, Gnar everywhere, but that’s not an option in Tournaments or Gauntlets, so… what to bring?

Sirturmund and MonteXristo have your back with this week’s Bo3 recommendations!

MonteXristo February 24, 2022

The Angler in Deep Water: A Shark’s Perspective, Part 2

bA1ance finishes his tour through the best data sites, shares tips on how to best use them, and interviews Team Pandex’ Coach, Tiburón Blanco, about how to make decisions based both on data and extensive experience.

bA1ance February 23, 2022

5 Tips for Ladder Climbing

Need help climbing to Masters? We’ve put together a list to help guide you to the top!

Jason Fleurant February 19, 2022

Week 1 Lineup Ideas & Tourney Pointers

New cards, nerfs, and no data – the holy trinity of ‘what do I even play this weekend’.

Luckily for you, it’s no worries – here’s three lineup ideas to help you storm the gauntlet gates or crush a community tournament.

Maybenextime February 18, 2022

Sirturmund & Monte’s Lineup Recommendations

A Curious Journey is here and with new decks come new lineup construction challenges! Sirturmund and MonteXristo have your back with this week’s lineup recommendations!

MonteXristo February 18, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons, First Friday Edition — The Fifteen Most Potent Brews, New and Old, to Climb the Ladder With

A Curious Journey begins — these are the fifteen strongest decks currently, with lots of room for refinements and tweaks.

Herko Kerghans February 18, 2022

By the Numbers: Strongest New Decks, 24 hours into the New Meta

New cards, new Champs, new Meta! Twenty-four hours into the patch, these are the strongest decks in Platinum and above

Herko Kerghans February 17, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons, Final Friday Edition — Twenty-Nine High-Performance Brews, from Meta Staples to Off-Meta Blends, to Close the LoR Season With

And thus the Season ends: although Ahri Kennen still rules supreme, it reigns atop one of the most varied metas in recent memory, where both Meta Staples and single-author brews thrive.

Herko Kerghans February 11, 2022

Leer & Wamuu test-piloting: Three More Decks from Balco’s Single-Shard Stash

Leer and Wamuu test-pilot three archetypes, brought to light by Balco, that are rarely seen outside a single shard: Luzeldon’s Muscle Dragon, RickoRex’s Akshan Sivir Noxus, and Renekton Sivir Sejuani

Leer February 10, 2022

How To Predict – An Advanced Guide to Ekko Zilean

MonteXristo and Scathus are sick of hearing people talk down about Ekko Zilean so they teamed up to teach you how to predict so you too can find success!

MonteXristo February 10, 2022

Expeditions: Advanced Resources

Welcome to our third iteration of card ratings & Expedition Tier List!

Combining Balco’s winrate data and ratings from five expert drafters, here’s a by-the-numbers Tier List for every card in Expeditions.

Herko Kerghans February 8, 2022

Popping Off with Lulu Poppy! — a Deck Guide, and a Journey to Masters

Father, card-slinger, Combo lover, guy behind our Matchup tables… bA1ance is a man of many talents. This is his journey, from Magic early days to Master in LoR, along with his detailed guide & optimization for the deck that got him there this Season.

bA1ance February 6, 2022

Off-Meta Deck Guide: Jinx Poppy Discard Aggro

Nope, that’s not a typo. Yep, it’s Jinx Poppy. A very rare deck from the APAC shard that Balco dug for us from his data mines… and, as Wamuu will show you, oh boy can it blow sh*t up.

Wamuu February 4, 2022

Sirturmund & MonteXristo recommend: Eight Lineups for Seasonal Open Rounds

They are coming!
Seasonal Open Rounds are around the corner — Sirturmund & MonteXristo present eight lineups with their ban strategies and possible alternatives.

MonteXristo February 3, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Ahri Kennen Go Hard, by Kevor

Most people would agree Ahri Kennen is the top dog right now but what’s more debatable is: which version is the best?
Kevor is here to tell you all about the Go Hard version right on time for Seasonal

Kevor24 January 29, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Zilean Xerath

Monte delves deep into the intricacies and countdowns around one of the staple Landmark decks: Zilean Xerath.

MonteXristo January 29, 2022

Sirturmund’s & MonteXristo’s Last Chance Gauntlet Lineup Recommendations

In need of inspiration for your Tournament? Looking to qualify to seasonal through Last Chance Gauntlet?
Sirturmund & MonteXristo present six lineups to help you achieve all your tournament goals.

MonteXristo January 28, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Tahm Kench Soraka, Healing Their Way to Victory

Star Spring specialist Sirturmund explains in detail why TK Raka is great for Tournament lineups, and when to consider it for Ladder.

Sirturmund January 27, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Akshan Sivir

Although around for quite long, Akshan Sivir is a hidden gem that has a strong matchup table in the meta.
Leer will guide you through the basics of the deck and the intricacies of its matchups.

Leer January 26, 2022

Monday Meta Report – Jan 24th

With the rise of Scouts, we have seen an exciting shift into an elegant dance between Control decks, Tempo-based archetypes, and Ahri Kennen. Leer takes a deep dive into the data to show you what decks you should play and those you should prepare to face!

Leer January 24, 2022

Champion Choices: Lineups I Would Bring to Gauntlets and Tournaments

Seasonal Champion MajiinBae presents three lineups for Gauntlets & Tournaments this weekend.

MajiinBae January 22, 2022

Sirturmund’s & MonteXristo’s Bo3 Lineup Recommendations

In need of inspiration for your next Gauntlet or Tournament?
Sirturmund & MonteXristo present six lineups with their ban strategies and possible alternatives.

MonteXristo January 21, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons, Jan 21 — Thirty-Three Potent Blends, from Staples to Risky Brews, for the Discerning Part-Time Ladderista

Their Royal Majesties, Ahri and Kennen, still have a firm grasp on the throne, but there’s no shortage of brews with which to experiment and climb!

Herko Kerghans January 21, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Trundle Tryndamere FTR

FTR Control is an old archetype rejuvenated by the recent balance patch. Jasensational explains in detail how to keep your foe’s board clear while you play your big, overwhelming threats.

Jasensational January 20, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Kindred Sentinels

The last balance patch finally allowed Kindred to shine. Wamuu explains in detail his favorite version of one archetype in which they do so: Kindred Sentinels.

Wamuu January 19, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Scouts

Leer breaks down the card choices, mulligan strats and matchups for one of the strongest decks right now: Scouts.

Leer January 18, 2022

Monday Meta Report – Jan 17th

Are you looking for the best decks in this week’s ever-changing metagame? Leer takes a deep dive into the data to show you what decks you should play and those you should prepare to face!

Leer January 17, 2022

3 Lineups I Would Bring to a Tournament this Weekend

Seasonal Champion MajiinBae presents the three lineups he’s considering for Tournaments this weekend.

MajiinBae January 15, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons, Jan 14

Twenty high-performance blends, from Meta Staples to Risky & Rare brews, for the discerning LoR ladderista.

Herko Kerghans January 14, 2022

Tournament Tech, January 13

In search for some Gauntlet or Tournament lineups? Wamuu explains the current best choices, along with their ban strategies.

Wamuu January 13, 2022

Expeditions Tier List: Win Rates for (nearly) All Cards, Ratings for All Archetypes.

Combining Balco’s winrate data and Conansson’s bucket ratings, here’s a by-the-numbers LoR Expeditions Tier List — all archetypes, nearly all cards!

Herko Kerghans January 13, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Elise Trundle

There’s nothing to fear.
Except an endless swarm of Spiderlings made huge with Iceborn Legacy.

Wamuu January 12, 2022

Detailed Deck Guide: Nightfall

Monte’s back with another deck guide on one of his favorite decks, Nightfall!
If you’re sick of losing to Ahri/Kennen click the link to learn how to play one of it’s best counters!

MonteXristo January 12, 2022

Tournament Tech, January 7

Looking for Gauntlet or Tournament lineups? Wamuu breaks down the best lineups for this fresh new Meta.

Wamuu January 7, 2022

Monday Meta Report – Jan 3rd

While the meta is still the most diverse we’ve seen in a very long time, pilots have already detected the best performers. Leer dives deep into the data to find out which other decks are being held back by the current Top Dogs, and how things may change with the balance patch we expect on Wednesday.

Leer January 3, 2022

Tournament Tech

Wamuu breaks down the best lineups from last week’s tournaments and details their ban strategy, tech choices and whether they are suitable for tournaments, Gauntlets or both.

Wamuu January 2, 2022

Weekend Warrior Weapons — Seventeen Top-Performing Blends, from Meta Staples to Experimental Brews, for the Discerning LoR Ladderista.

And thus the Year ends:
Not with a bang,
But aflame with Chompers!

Herko Kerghans December 31, 2021

Fizz Lulu Deck Guide

Fizz/Lulu is a tempo-based deck that has been flying under the radar for most parts of the meta. Today, we take a closer look at how this deck achieves two main goals with an unlikely combination of discards and Yordles.

Leer December 30, 2021

Draven Rumble Deck Guide

Unlike the other Magic Misadventures champions, Rumble was a bit slow in finding its proper shell… but the wait is over: Wamuu gets the party ready to roll!

Wamuu December 28, 2021

Monday Meta Report – Dec 27th

Are you looking for the best decks in this week’s new meta-game? Leer takes a deep dive into the data to show you what decks you should play and those you should prepare to face!

Leer December 27, 2021

Teemo Swain Deck Guide

What’s the difference between Teemo and Swain? Well… one is a ruthless war criminal, and the other is the Grand General of Noxus. How do they team up? Here’s Jasensational with the detailed run-down!

Jasensational December 25, 2021

Weekend Warrior Weapons — Twenty-Six High-Performing Blends, from Staples to Risky & Rare, to Climb the Ladder With

Although some trends are now clear, the Meta is still up in the air — here are some the best-performing decks, from the well-know to the highly-experimental!

Herko Kerghans December 24, 2021

What’s the Punish?

Santa ain’t lying: if you’ve been bad (player), you get punished. Luckily, here’s CastMin to help you avoid getting the coal!

CastMin December 22, 2021

Ahri Kennen Deck Guide

Surging in playrate after the hotfix, Kennen Ahri Shurima is now one of the strongest decks. Wamuu lays bare all its many tricks, mulligan and matchups in this in-depth guide.

Wamuu December 22, 2021

Pantheon Taric Deck Guide

Pantheon/Taric has been the most played deck since the hotfix on Dec 14th. In this guide, we will cover what’s behind the hype and how to pilot this deck to success.

Leer December 19, 2021

Weekend Warrior Weapons, Dec 17 — Eighteen Decks to Start the Season With… Again!

The recent hotfix sent the meta back to Day One — here are some of the best-performing decks, both new and old, in this brave new ladder!

Herko Kerghans December 17, 2021

Poppy Teemo Deck Guide – By CameronHanzo

Teemo Poppy is a deck that looks to snowball the game with Poppy and Yordle Captain to get really big units and finish your opponent off with Yordles In Arms and rallies!

MonteXristo December 16, 2021

Monday Meta Report – December 13th

Are you looking for the best decks in this week’s meta-game? Leer takes a deep dive into the data to show you what decks you should play and those you should prepare to face!

Leer December 13, 2021

Weekend Warrior Weapons, Dec 10 — Fifteen Decks to Start the Season With

Fifteen-plus Decks, from Revolutionary to Experimental to Well-Known with a Twist, to Start the Season With

Herko Kerghans December 10, 2021

Magic Misadventures Decks to Climb With Day #1

Looking for something new? Or something old, but with a new spin?

Shadawx has you covered: four champs, five decks to try on Patch Day!

Shadawx December 8, 2021

The Mulligan Show #8

WhatAmI again takes us to school to teach us how to mulligan in LoR — a crucial skill if you want to improve as a player.

WhatamI December 5, 2021

Mastering the Fundamentals: Priority

Jasensational is back with the next guide in his Mastering the Fundamentals series. This time he’s giving you the breakdown on Priority!

Jasensational December 4, 2021

Mastering the Fundamentals: Passing

Using Feel the Rush and Zoe Lee Sin as detailed examples, Jasensational explains in depth the most difficult fundamental to master: Passing correctly.

Jasensational November 28, 2021

We have the best ladder decks in all of Runeterra... come, come take a look!

Weekend Warrior Weapons, Nov 26 – Twenty-plus Decks to Climb the Ladder With

An Ample Assortment from among the Best Ladder Decks, from Meta Staples to Risky and Rare, for the Discerning Part-Time Climber.

Herko Kerghans November 26, 2021

Seasonal Open Rounds Essentials

Nine hours packed with intense gameplay and hard decisions at every corner… CastMin answers the tough questions so you can focus on preparing for the event.

CastMin November 24, 2021

Teemo Sejuani Guide

Today we’re going to go over a deck that I’ve been playing and refining this season: Teemo Sejuani Bandle. This is a concept I originally saw someone playing on ladder and after the game, I immediately opened the deck builder and tried the concept out for myself.

FloppyMudkip November 23, 2021

How to make your own LoR Tournament Lineup

Get ready for Seasonals! Wamuu explains in detail how to craft your own LoR Tournament Lineup

Wamuu November 23, 2021

The Mulligan Show #7

WhatAmI again takes us to school to teach us how to mulligan in Legends of Runeterra — a crucial skill if you want to improve as a player.

WhatamI November 21, 2021

Mastering the Fundamentals: How to Beat your Opponent

Knowing our deck’s gameplan is crucial, but we’ll focus this chapter of Mastering the Fundamentals on the other side of the equation: factoring what our *opponent* is doing.

Jasensational November 20, 2021

Zoe Lee Sin Deck Guide

This old Archetype remains one of the strongest in tournaments, and a force to reckoned with when piloted skillfully on the LoR Ladder. Jasensational’s Zoe Lee Sin Deck Guide will teach pilots the skills needed to kick foes in both settings.

Jasensational November 19, 2021

Top 5 Lineups For Your Last Chance Gauntlet!

This top 5 is based on the results of our weekly Wednesday Night Runeterra community tournament. Llineups have been chosen based on results and variety; there is a lineup for every type of playstyle out there.

Wamuu November 19, 2021

Uncle Herko’s Tips – LoR Matchup Data

Ye bein’ a bit lost when lookin’ fer LoR matchup data? Worry not, kiddo! Good Ol’ Uncle Herko will show ye all t’ best places to look fer ’em crunchy numbers.

Herko Kerghans November 17, 2021

The Mulligan Show #6

Learning how to Mulligan in Legends of Runeterra is one of the most important skills required to be a winning player. WhatAmI takes us to school.

WhatamI November 16, 2021

Draven Viktor Deck Guide

Hello, Wamuu here and today I’m bringing you another deck guide. This time we’ll be taking a look at Draven Viktor! I climbed from Diamond IV to Diamond I with a 60% win rate with this deck. So, you might want to try it out.

Wamuu November 14, 2021

Mastering the Fundamentals: Win Conditions and How to Achieve Them

Hey everyone, Jasensational here. This article is part of a six-part series geared towards newer players to teach them about the fundamentals of Legends of RuneTerra (and card games in general). Each article is aimed to build on each other and teach you how to think deeper behind your plays and how you pilot the game.

Jasensational November 13, 2021

Gangplank Sejuani Deck Guide

Gangplank Sejuani is a very old deck in the meta as it first sprung out from The Rising Tides expansion. The idea of the deck is pretty simple, both Gangplank and Sejuani have the same level-up condition so the whole deck is built around dealing damage to the enemy nexus as often as possible.

Wamuu November 10, 2021

The Mulligan Show #5

Learning how to Mulligan in Legends of Runeterra is one of the most important skills required to be a winning player. WhatAmI takes us to school.

WhatamI November 9, 2021

Draven Sion Deck Guide

Draven Sion is an archetype that came to be with the release of Sion and his support cards, allowing a sort of midrange discard deck archetype to rise. Ever since Sion’s release, this deck has been dominating the ladder and competitive play as it has a very high-power level.

Wamuu November 6, 2021

Braum Asol Field Testing

After their success solving Legna’s URF Hypothesis, MAIM Corp’s brightest minds now tackle a difficult challenge: can Iceborn and Space Dragons coexist in the same deck?

A deck guide like no other!

MonteXristo November 6, 2021

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