Welcome! Please, step inside, my friend. Looking for the best ladder decks? You have come to the right place!
A harsh work week has at last met its end, has it not? Time to abandon the boring babble of budgets, processes and profits, then and turn our attention to more playful matters! So come, my friend! We have the best blends from all across Runeterra – the finest selection from such foremost providers as Legna, Balco and Vivo. Have your choice from among the lean, the laden, the legit, the lunatic… anything from tried-and-true to pilots-beware!
So tell me, please! What are you looking for?
… the tried and true Meta Staples?
- Zed Poppy, aka Rally Elusives,
- Ziggs Poppy,
- Gangplank Sejuani, aka Plunder,
- Twisted Fate Gangplank (Bandle City), aka Ping City,
- Veigar Senna, aka Darkness,
- Bandle Tree
- Taliya Ziggs, the newcomer in this list,
… something a bit more exotic, from our Connoisseur’s Corner?
- Poppy Lux
- Glorious Shellfolk (Fizz Vi),
- Jayce Sentinels, who jumped from “not very good” to making a dent among the top meta decks,
- Heimerdinger Jayce, in its Ionian and Shadow Isles variants
- A returning classic, Soraka Tahm Kench,
- Trundle Sejuani Tryndamere, aka Feel The Minah,
- Pirates, a deck that is never too far from making waves!
- Draven Viktor,
- Riven Vi,
- Draven Riven,
… or are you after the decidedly Risky and Rare?
- Fizz Nami,
- Lulu Poppy,
- Shadow Jayce Ezreal,
- Riven Akshan,
- Teemo Zed, looking like a meme but hitting like a battering ram,
- Elise Poppy,
- Shen Poppy, because, well, "add Poppy" is all a rookie brewer needs to know, apparently,
- "Sunny" Garen/Jarvan IV/Poppy (Targon)
Meta Staples
Here they are, my friend: the tried-and-true, the essentials, the staples. As the sublime scribe Soltaire once scribbled, scolding the thrills that stirred spirits seek over serene stillness:
There is no shame in
The simplicity of bread.
So eat, and be glad.
Why seek the weird, when we know what is wholesome?
Well-worn they may be, but they get the work done: our selection of 52%-plus winrate, 1%-plus playrate formulas, for discerning customers who esteem efficiency and efficacy over flashy flamboyance. The fairly famous Fleurant (because, truly, who does not know the name Fleurant?) has very recently written about his choice for best ladder decks to reach Masters fast, in case you’d like an expert opinion for your weapon of choice.
Rally Elusives, aka Zed Poppy:
Punching them in the face is all the more fun when they cannot see your blows coming. Add Rally for repeated fun! The absolute King and Queen of ruthless ladder efficiency -- if "up" is your only concern, this is your blend. This list, with that brash lad Laurent Protege
, is the best performer above Platinum in the last few days when winrate & playrate are factored.
Strong Against: Pretty much everything not listed below!
Struggles Against: Gangplank TF (both the BC and Nox versions) / Draven Jinx / Jayce Sentinels
You may find some extra tips about Zed & Poppy in this guide.
21 cards
19 cards
23 400
Poppy Ziggs:
Everybody has a plan, until you go wide and punch them in the face. An impressive feat of brewing, this list has remained practially untouched since its inception shortly after Worlds.
Strong Against: Dragons / Thralls / Lurkers / Rally Elusives
Struggles Against: Gangplank Twisted Fate / Draven Sion / Lee Sin Zoe / Darkness
16 cards
24 cards
26 500
Ganplank Sejuani, aka Plunder:
The terror of the ladder. Nothing is more exhilarating (or terrifying, depending on what end of the stick you’re on) than freezing an opponent’s whole board at Burst speed. Some formulas eschew the single copy of Feel The Rush
, but our suggested blend has the highest performance among the most popular in the last few days.
Strong Against: Except the blends below, Plunder is either favored or roughly even among the rest of the field – for a deck with a great matchup spread, look no further!
Struggles Against: Soraka Tahm Kench / Lulu Poppy / Thralls / Rally Elusives /
You may find some extra tips about the deck in this detailed guide.
4 cards
36 cards
29 100
Ganplank Twisted Fate, aka Ping City:
Another take on everybody’s favorite overwhelming Captain; go wide and punch them in the face... but with kegs! Since last week, the list has ditched Monster Harpoon
to make room for Warning Shot
and Parrrley
Strong Against: Bandle Tree / Poppy Ziggs / Lurkers / Poppy Zed / Draven Sion
Struggles Against: Lux Poppy / Jayce Sentinels / Thralls / Zoe Lee Sin / Darkness
26 cards
14 cards
24 100
Veigar Senna, aka Darkness:
The Dark Duo returns to the fore – this list shows much better performance at Masters than lower ladder rungs, which usually signals a difficult blend to pilot. There’s currently a lot of experimentation with the highest-cost spells; our suggested blend, focusing on Bandle City more than Shadow Isles in that section, has performed quite well recently.
Strong Against: Bandle Tree / Poppy Ziggs / Lurkers / Poppy Zed / Draven Sion
Struggles Against: Bandle Tree / Poppy Zed / Shellfolk / Akshan Sivir / Thralls / Taliyah Ziggs
14 cards
26 cards
26 900
Bandle Tree (ft. Fizz, Lulu & Poppy):
Don’t mess with Yordles – doubly so with tree-huggin’ Yordles. A great choice for those that love variety in their meta staple of choice: two different win conditions (go wide & punch face, or control the board and win with The Bandle Tree
, with lots of choices from created cards. Another deck recently performing better at Masters than at lower rungs, which may signal a hard deck to pilot.
Strong Against: Dragons / Darkness / Thralls / Bandle Tree versions with less champions / Lurkers
Struggles Against: Gangplank TF / Draven Sion / Poppy Zed / Akshan Sivir
8 cards
32 cards
28 500
Taliyah Ziggs:
We shall finish our selection of Meta Staples with a recent addition to the most popular decks. This blend shows better performance at Plat+ than at Masters-only, suggesting a somewhat weaker blend that may take unprepared foes by surprise but may ultimately prove disappointing should laddering efficiency be paramount.
Strong Against: Thralls / Darkness / Lurkers
Struggles Against: Zoe Lee Sin / Poppy Zed / Poppy Ziggs / Plunder
26 cards
14 cards
26 800
The Connoisseur’s Corner
Looking for something a bit harder to find on the ladder? Here is our selection of rarer blends—some of them returning to the spotlight, some of them quite new—to get the job done while not bloating the playrates of the most popular choices.
Poppy Lux (54%)
Showing great prowess at Masters -- the tricky Conchologist
and Curious Shellfolk
shell, paired with mighty Demacian units and spells.
Strong Against: Zoe Lee Sin / Gangplank TF
Struggles Against: Bandle Tree / Plunder / Dragons / Poppy Ziggs / Lurkers / Thralls
14 cards
26 cards
28 300
Glorious Shellfolk (Fizz Vi), 52%:
Arguably the hardest deck to pilot, showing great performance at Masters but dropping sharply at lower lodder rungs. A treat for combo-decks lovers.
Strong Against: Zoe Lee Sin / Darkness
Struggles Against: Thralls / Gangplank blends / Akshan Sivir / Lurkers
20 cards
20 cards
24 200
Jayce Sentinels (ft Elise), 52%:
A deck that who jumped from “not very good” last week to making a dent among the best ladder decks recently, cutting a Forge Chief
for Piercing Darkness
Strong Against: Poppy Ziggs / Gangplank TF / Bandle Tree / Poppy Zed
Struggles Against: Thralls / Draven Sion / Darkness / Lurkers
24 cards
16 cards
28 500
Heimerdinger Jayce (Ionia), 53%:
Teacher and Student team together with Ionian permission spells. Similar to last week's, now swtiching Spirit's Refuge
for Time Trick
.
Strong Against: Akshan Sivir / Shellfolk
Struggles Against: Gangplank blends / Poppy Ziggs & Poppy Zed / Zoe Lee Sin
9 cards
31 cards
25 000
Heimerdinger Jayce (Bandle City), 53%:
A similar list, but with a few of Bandle City tricks up its deep pockets.
Strong Against: Zoe Lee Sin / Draven Sion
Struggles Against: Most other meta decks
29 cards
11 cards
27 300
Soraka Tahm Kench, 55%+:
The return of a most loved classic! Win either by applying board pressure, or via your Star Spring
wincon. Be advised that there is a single list being played, which usually indicates a single very skilled pilot skewing the results.
Strong Against: Plunder
Struggles Against: Poppy Zed / Lurkers / Poppy Ziggs
13 cards
27 cards
29 200
Trundle Sejuani Tryndamere, aka Feel The Minah, 53%+:
Big Champs, big spells, big kicking the enemy units back to where they came from. Has lost a bit of kick compared to last week, but has increased in playrate.
Strong Against: Draven Sion / Thralls / Lurkers / Jayce Lux
Struggles Against: Darkness / Poppy Ziggs / Lee Sin Zoe / Rally Elusives / Elise Jayce Vi
According to learned scholars, this is Scathus’ take on random7hs’ classic, the biggest change being the inclusion of Scattered Pod
to make the Feel The Rush combo more consistent.
14 cards
26 cards
30 600
Pirates Ahoy! 54%:
Yo ho, yo ho... pirates have returned, it seems, and have press-ganged Marai Warden
onboard.
Strong Against: Dragons / Thralls / Lurkers
Struggles Against: Darkness / Plunder
20 cards
20 cards
26 300
Draven Viktor, 55%:
The most popular of the "Ambush Duo" (see Riven Vi below), mixing Noxus and P&Z with Ambush
on top for a huge Elusive finish.
Strong Against: Bandle Tree / Thralls / Taliyah Ziggs / Dragons
Struggles Against: Zoe Lee Sin / Darkness / Gangplank Twisted Fate
You may find some extra tips about the deck in this detailed guide.
16 cards
24 cards
25 600
Riven Vi, 55%:
Big girls, with big Hextech gloves and big blades. Add an Elusive Ambush for extra punch!
Strong Against: Riven Swain / Taliyah Ziggs / Poppy Ziggs / Lurkers / Bandle Tree / Gangplank TF
Struggles Against: Lee Sin Zoe / Rally Elusives / Draven Sion
19 cards
21 cards
20 700
Draven Riven, 55%:
A different take on the Noxus and P&Z pairing, with a more aggressive Burn plan.
Strong Against: Akshan Sivir / Ganplank TF / Thralls / Bandle Tree / Poppy Ziggs
Struggles Against: Lee Sin Zoe / Darkenss
18 cards
22 cards
23 200
Not currently in stock...
Several blends that looked promising last week have not managed to impress recently. You may still want to check them, in case one of them piques your curiosity, but be advised that they haven't shown great results in the last few days: Swain Ziggs, Ziggs Zilean, Gangplank Twisted Fate (Noxus), Leona Aurelion Sol (Demacia), Caitlyn Ezreal (Bandle City).
The Risky Brews
As penned by plentiful pensive philosophers, “falling follows flourishing”. Reward requires risk, and as the sublime Soltaire said:
A heavy bud blooms
Upon a thin branch. Beauty
Does not fear the wind.
What’s well-known may work wonders, but what would life be without the tempting thrills of voyaging and adventure? You know what they say, my friend: all efficiency and no exploration makes Greg a glum grinder!
So, for a risk-taker as yourself, here are our little-known, scarcely-tested formulas: sail your ship into uncharted waters, and be the one others tell tales about!
And if you are the kind that finds help in a drink to make up your mind, the bartender at The Pilgrims Road may have a few more weird brews for you to sip.
Fizz Nami:
The tide returns: thought forgotten, this pair has resurfaced with a low curve and lots of tricks up their sleeves.
Strong Against: Lurkers
Struggles Against: Poppy Zed
17 cards
23 cards
30 000
Lulu Poppy:
The Rally Elusive regions take a different direction, going down a Midrange path that reminds of Shen Jarvan.
Strong Against: Most of the meta decks -- a rather impressive spread.
Struggles Against: Only slightly versus Draven Sion.
14 cards
26 cards
25 000
Shadow Jayce Ezreal:
Whereas Jayce Sentinels seems to be cutting down on expensive spells, this deck featuring Piltover's cockiest pair is not afraid of thinking big. Notice how they have ditched Bandle City since last week, and switched to Shadow Isles.
Strong Against: Poppy Zed
Struggles Against: Draven Sion / Lurkers / Plunder
12 cards
28 cards
26 900
Riven Akshan
Ruin Runner has returned. With Captain Farron in tow.
Strong Against: Darkness / Thralls
Struggles Against: Draven Sion / Popy Zed & Poppy Ziggs
19 cards
21 cards
26 000
Teemo Zed
Probably a meme, but has pulled impressive results (across a tiny sample). Kinkou Wayfinder will most often than not put Teemo on board... sometimes more than one.
8 cards
32 cards
26 500
Elise Poppy
Getting some traction in the EU server. The Bandle City Mayor package with a sprinkle of Prankster & Collector burn.
18 cards
22 cards
28 200
Poppy Shen:
It was bound to happen: Poppy's rally elusive package blends with some of Shen's shenanigans, all the way up to Brightsteel Formation
. Currently sports a ridiculously high winrate on a microscopic, single-list sample, so almost surely a pet project of some skilled player. Caution advised!
12 cards
28 cards
24 800
"Sunny" Poppy Garen Jarvan IV (Targon):
Demacian champs go the Midrange route. Nothing new there... except they are pairing with Targon, and without a single dragon in sight.
25 cards
15 cards
26 300
Very well, my friend!
I hope we were able to meet your refined requirements.
Should you require more metrics for your choice of weaponry, do let me know and I shall do my best to furnish you with whatever numbers I find. And should you be interested in more recommendations or more writings from yours truly, you shall find them at this link.
Good luck in your climb!