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

Welcome! Welcome, my friend, please step inside… and yet again, like last week, I must beg you, please turn a blind eye to the mess our shop is in right now: the recently-deployed hotfix has descended upon us like a deranged deluge, dashing everything into disarray.

And what a wonderful, wondrous disarray, I may add! You thought last week was hectic? Just wait until you find yourself with a fresh new meta, two Fridays in a row!

So what shall I show you, my friend?

... the unleashed power of the Pantheon blends?

• Lonesome Pantheon,
• Taric Pantheon,
• Riven Pantheon.

… the elusive trickery of Ahri and Kennen?

• Kennen Ahri Shurima,
• Kennen Ahri Shadows, aka Go Hard.

… some of the well-trodden blends that seem well-poised in this brave new Meta?

• Bandle Tree, not caring for nerfs to its signature Champion,
• Lee Sin Zoe,
• Pirates,
• The counters' counter, Darkness,
• Teemo Swain, making its debut among the Meta Staples.

… perhaps you'd like to pilot more experimental brews into uncharted waters?

• Nami Twisted Fate, aka Drisoth's Orthogonal Goodstuff pile,
• Teemo Caitlyin,
• Thresh Viego,
• Lonesome Ziggs, aka Yordle Burn, without his usual partner in arson,
• Fizz Lulu, aka "who needs Rumble when you need Lulu for Yordle Discard?"
• Taliyah Ziggs
• Ahri Teemo
• Draven Ezreal

Or, please, be my guest and stroll around our humble shop at leisure. We are proud to showcase the finest inventory from admired APIarists Legna & Balco, so feel free to check our wares as much as you please.

The Hotfixed Meta

Oh how the mighty have fallen. As notable numeromancer Legna shows…

… Poppy piles have plunged into a profound precipice, along with Ezreal's short-lived partnership with Kennen.

But power abhors vacuum, and as soon as the top is empty, others Archetypes clash for preeminence.

Pantheon Blends

Kept at bay by the former powerhouses, Atreus has climbed to the top. Abundant blends exist, including the Lonesome version which currently stands out as the strongest.

In every case, we've chosen the top-performing build among the most popular versions of each blend -- but a word of caution is not out of place here, I believe: you should exercise a healthy degree of circumspection, my friend, when choosing or piloting any of our suggested blends. Data is a scarce commodity in these early ladder times! 

Lonesome Pantheon Demacia, 55%+

Standing tall and proud, and requesting assistance from no other Champion, this Lonesome blend currently stands at the top of the meta, and looks like the strongest of all Pantheon formulas.

Strong Against: Kennen Ahri Shadows, Lurkers, Dragons, Thralls, Teemo Swain, Pirates

Struggles Against: Zoe Lee Sin, Bandle Tree

Taric Pantheon Demacia, 52%

Quite similar to the Lonesome variant, but showing less stellar results. Do note that this variant does top the popularity ranking, which may drag it's performance down by being polluted with inferior builds, and/or being steered by less skilled pilots.

In particular, note it's weakness against Lurkers, which the Lonesome variant preys upon.

Strong Against: Thralls, Swain Teemo, Plunder

Struggles Against: Lee Sin Zoe, Bandle Tree, Lurkers.

Riven Pantheon, 52%

A blend that has shown mediocre results on average, but offers a slightly different matchup spread along with a very different playstyle.

Strong Against: Taric Pantheon, Plunder, Lurkers, Thralls

Struggles Against: Lee Sin Zoe, Bandle Tree, Teemo Swain

Other Pantheon Blends

For the risk-takers and adventurers, other experimental blends exist, although with too little data about specific matchups:

• Shyvana Pantheon, focusing greatly on the Dragon synergy, has shown great success in the Asian shard,
• Preeminent pilot Szychu has found great success blending Zoe Pantheon with Freljordian tricks. 

Kennen Ahri blends

Apparently too busy being a Path of Champions Boss, Ezreal has abandoned the Constructed scene, freeing Kennen to partner with Ahri in their struggle as top performing archetype.

True to their tricky nature, Kennen & Ahri blends may superficially seem similar -- but do note how their matchups are keenly different.

As mentioned previously, exercise caution when choosing or piloting any of the suggested blends -- scarcity of data may lead to unexpected results, my friend!

Kennen Ahri Shurima, 55%+

Sticking with the recently nerfed Kinkou Wayfinder and God-Willow Seedling, and making great use of Fae Bladetwirler and Dancing Droplet, the Shurima version brings The Absolver to the fray for overwhelming superiority.

Do notice also the rock-paper-scissor-ish nature of the meta, this blend being strong against two Pantheon counters (Lee Sin Zoe and Bandle Tree), while itself being weak to its own Shadow variant

Strong Against: Taric Pantheon, Lee Sin Zoe, Bandle Tree, Lurkers, Dragons.

Struggles Against: Teemo Swain, Kennen Ahri Shadows.

Kennen Ahri Shadows, aka Go Hard, 53%+

This shadowy blend focuses on Go Hard, and goes for a slightly costlier curve with Scattered Pod. The list may seem similar to the SH variant, but matchups are proving to be quite different. 

Strong Against: Lee Sin Zoe, Lurkers, Dragons, the Shurima variant.

Struggles Against:Teemo Swain, Darkness, Plunder, Bandle Tree

If you'd like a slightly different option, check this build (link) with  WhatAmI's take, cutting Eye of the Dragon to make room for Sai'nen Thousand-Tailed.

Meta Staples

If you're looking after the well-known blends, or if your budget is meager and you very wisely wish to preserve your wildcards for when the meta stabilizes and for now prefer to pilot what you already possess, these would be our recommendations.

Bandle Tree

Her Yordles piles may have been hammered hard, but Poppy still stands steadfast by The Bandle Tree: and ideal blend for those seeking a bit more variety in their weapon of choice, both in the amount of extra choices this deck provides, and two different win conditions.

Newcomers to this deck should notice that this blend contains followers from all ten regions: House Spider, although itself a Noxian card, will also summon a Spiderling from Shadow Isles.

Strong Against: Plunder, Lee Sin Zoe, Lurkers, Darkness, Dragons, Pantheon blends, Pirates

Struggles Against: Thralls, Teemo Swain, Discard Midrange, Kennen Ahri Shadows, Twisted Fate Nami

For a second option, check Genesys' take on Bandle Tree (link), including one copy of Teemo.

Lee Sin Zoe

Having welcomed Wounded Whiteflame into their midst, the Trickster and the Blind find themselves in an interesting spot when it comes to matchups, being perhaps one of the components of a rock-paper-scissors dynamic.

Strong Against: Pantheon blends, Thralls, Plunder

Struggles Against: Bandle Tree, Darkness, Teemo Swain, Kennen Ahri blends

Widely labeled as a tough deck to pilot, by the way, and doubly so in unstable metas, so newcomers beware.

Pirates

With Marai Warden a confirmed staple and as always preying on poorly-refined prescriptions, Pirates is the ideal Archetype for an early, quick 'n' bloody climb.

Strong Against: Taric Pantheon, Plunder, Lurkers, Dragons

Struggles Against: Thralls, Bandle Tree, Lee Sin Zoe, Darkness

Darkness

Profiting from its very strong matchups into Lee Sin Zoe, Teemo Swain, and Kennen Ahri Shadows, Darkness seems to be positioning itself as the counters' counter

Strong Against: Lee Sin Zoe, Teemo Swain, Kennen Ahri Shadows, Pirates, Ping City

Struggles Against: Taric Pantheon, Bandle Tree, Thralls, Dragons,

Teemo Swain

Ah, how it warms my heart to see an Archetype, after a long struggle, finally reach to popularity and power-level to deservedly be labeled a meta staple!

Don't be fooled by it's good-yet-not-great average performance, by the way: with so many reactive tools at their disposal, the furry Scout and the Grand General are still exploring for their ideal complement of spells -- a week from now, it would not surprise me in the least to find them much nearer the top.

Strong Against: Taric Pantheon, Bandle Tree, Lee Sin Zoe, Riven Pantheon, Kennan Ahri blends

Struggles Against: Plunder, Lurkers, Darkness, Dragons, Lonesome Pantheon

Into Uncharted Waters

If you're feeling adventurous -- and, let's be frank, what's a Friday without flirtation with what's fresh and exciting? -- here are the radically new, and some of the old that currently sail uncharted waters.

Nami Twisted Fate, aka Drisoth's Orthogonal Goodstuff pile,

Perhaps the hottest new tech at the top, Micah 'Burblefish' Lupa has turned a pile of card into a Nami Twisted Fate powerhouse.

Strong Against: Kennen Ahri Shadows

Struggles Against: Lee Sin Zoe

Here is their take on why such a pile actually works. The deck is undergoing tweaks and changes, with most recent lists leaning towards three copies of Curious Shellfolk.

Teemo Caitlyn

Perhaps a fluke -- since these Champions never quite found its footing even though they are clearly printed (and voiced!) to work together -- this blend has nevertheless performed admirably as of late.

Strong Against: Bandle Tree

Thresh Viego

A perennial Tier Two deck, and arguably the quintessential Midrange deck (it actually makes a seven-mana card a core part of its gameplan! =), this shadowy pair has been packing quite the punch as of late.

Lone Ziggs, aka Yordle Burn

Left alone to do all the work, Ziggs without Poppy seems still capable of packing quite the punch.

Fizz Lulu, aka Rumbless Yordle Discard

While Rumble doesn't seem to find a deck for him yet, two other Yordle champs have taken the torch of making Bandle Discard a thing.

Taliyah Ziggs

Longing for the brief spotlight they managed to enjoy a few weeks ago, Ziggs and Taliyah throw a bit of Landmark fun into an otherwise board-centric meta.

Ahri Teemo

Lots of 1-game variants in a single server usually signal somebody's pet research project. Join the research effort, if you dare!

Draven Ezreal:

The tri-beam duo is back! Have other nerfs finally allowed this old favorite to resurface? Unique list from a single server -- likely a top player dusting off their favorite brew.

So, my friend!

I hope our vast inventory has enticed you to jump well-equipped into the LoR ladder. Should you require more metrics for your choice of weaponry, or would like conversing directly with yours truly, this link is where you can find me.

And if you'd like these recommendations mailed directly to your inbox, you can subscribe at this link.

Good luck in your climb!

Many thanks to Alita for superbly solid feedback & comment!