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By the Numbers – Best LoR Decks, 24hs into the Balance Patch

With roughly 24hs of data after the latest Balance Patch, these are the forerunners in the LoR ladder race.

Note: This is an older article.
For the most recent data, check the latest LoR Best Decks article, or our Meta Tier List!


Best Legends of Runeterra Decks, 24hs into the Balance Patch

With roughly 24hs of data after the Legends of Runeterra Balance Patch 4.4.0 went live, here is what the most popular LoR decks look like:

Best LoR Decks, according to the latest data

Let's separate the chaff from the wheat! =)


Early Powerhouses

Here we have a few LoR decks that have hit the ground running post-patch, and have hit it hard.

There's a mixture of old Top Dogs that dodged the nerf hammer, a notable absence of decks that were targeted by said nerf hammer, and recently buffed newcomers – at first glance, seems like the Patch 4.0.0 may have hit the intended spots.


Nautilus Maokai, aka Deep

Deep was already solid pre-patch, and Samira Fizz was its worst nightmare – hardly a surprise that we find it as the forerunner today, packing a whopping 58% punch in about 700 games with the best Maokai Nautilus deck, and similar versions doing similarly well:

Regions
Shadow Isles
15 cards
Bilgewater
25 cards
Rarities
28 600
champion
6
epic
4
rare
14
common
16
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
6
1
5
2
11
3
7
4
1
5
6
6
4
7+
Champions
6
4
Maokai
3
Maokai
7
Nautilus
3
Nautilus
Followers
18
1
Dreg Dredgers
3
Dreg Dredgers
2
Sea Scarab
3
Sea Scarab
3
Deadbloom Wanderer
3
Deadbloom Wanderer
3
Jaull Hunters
2
Jaull Hunters
4
Megatusk
2
Megatusk
5
Abyssal Eye
1
Abyssal Eye
6
Devourer of the Depths
3
Devourer of the Depths
7
Shipwreck Hoarder
1
Shipwreck Hoarder
Spells
16
1
Jettison
3
Jettison
2
Heavy Metal
2
Heavy Metal
3
Lure of the Depths
3
Lure of the Depths
3
Undergrowth
3
Undergrowth
4
Salvage
2
Salvage
6
Vengeance
3
Vengeance

New Yordles on the Block: Teemo Tristana

This one looks scary: the two best lists have a handful of differences (in other words, the archetype is clearly not refined yet) but both have smashing win rates of above 57%. The Teemo Tristana deck shown below, leaning towards NXNoxus spells, is the punchiest of the two…

Regions
Noxus
12 cards
Bandlecity
28 cards
Rarities
26 900
champion
6
epic
3
rare
11
common
20
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
3
1
16
2
15
3
3
4
0
5
0
6
3
7+
Champions
6
1
Teemo
3
Teemo
3
Tristana
3
Tristana
Followers
25
2
Bandle Commando
3
Bandle Commando
2
Blastcone Seedling
3
Blastcone Seedling
2
Grandfather Fae
3
Grandfather Fae
2
Grumbleslug
2
Grumbleslug
2
Ionian Hookmaster
3
Ionian Hookmaster
3
Bandle City Mayor
3
Bandle City Mayor
3
Wandering Shepherd
2
Wandering Shepherd
4
Tenor of Terror
3
Tenor of Terror
10
Bandle Gunners
3
Bandle Gunners
Spells
9
2
Brothers' Bond
2
Brothers' Bond
3
Might
3
Might
3
Noxian Fervor
2
Noxian Fervor
3
Pirouette
2
Pirouette

… while this other one, mixing BCBandle City and NXNoxus spells and tweaking its followers a bit, is also excellent. 


The Prince's Brews: Illaoi Jarvan and Jarvan Shen

Now, for an interesting twist!

As Jason noted yesterday, Illaoi Jarvan is, like Deep, an old Top Dog that dodged the hammer, so it's hardly a surprise to find Prince and Priestess smashing things left and right on the LoR Ladder now:

Regions
Demacia
15 cards
Bilgewater
25 cards
Rarities
27 500
champion
6
epic
3
rare
14
common
17
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
3
1
14
2
8
3
3
4
6
5
4
6
2
7+
Champions
6
4
Illaoi
3
Illaoi
6
Jarvan IV
3
Jarvan IV
Equipments
3
2
Eye of God
3
Eye of God
Followers
14
1
Watchful Idol
3
Watchful Idol
2
Petricite Broadwing
3
Petricite Broadwing
3
The Sea's Voice
3
The Sea's Voice
5
Buhru Lookout
3
Buhru Lookout
8
Nagakabouros
2
Nagakabouros
Spells
17
2
Answered Prayer
2
Answered Prayer
2
Form Up!
3
Form Up!
2
Single Combat
3
Single Combat
3
Cataclysm
3
Cataclysm
3
Tentacle Smash
2
Tentacle Smash
5
Eye of Nagakabouros
3
Eye of Nagakabouros
6
Riptide Sermon
1
Riptide Sermon

But Shen Jarvan was neither a powerhouse pre-patch, nor was it buffed – Yang saw it coming yesterday, and thus far it's working splendidly: while less played than Illaoi Jarvan, Jarvan Shen is doing even better, and in fact have the highest winrate among decks we'll showcase today: 60%!!

Regions
Demacia
23 cards
Ionia
17 cards
Rarities
27 800
champion
6
epic
4
rare
10
common
20
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
4
1
14
2
4
3
9
4
3
5
3
6
3
7+
Champions
6
4
Shen
3
Shen
6
Jarvan IV
3
Jarvan IV
Equipments
1
2
The Darkin Aegis
1
The Darkin Aegis
Followers
18
1
Greenglade Caretaker
3
Greenglade Caretaker
2
Kinkou Student
3
Kinkou Student
2
Petricite Broadwing
3
Petricite Broadwing
3
Blocking Badgerbear
3
Blocking Badgerbear
5
Screeching Dragon
3
Screeching Dragon
7
King Jarvan III
2
King Jarvan III
7
Sacred Protector
1
Sacred Protector
Spells
15
1
Wuju Style
1
Wuju Style
2
Form Up!
3
Form Up!
2
Nopeify!
1
Nopeify!
2
Single Combat
3
Single Combat
3
Fish Fight
1
Fish Fight
4
Deny
1
Deny
4
Moral Support
2
Moral Support
4
Riposte
1
Riposte
4
Spirit's Refuge
2
Spirit's Refuge

NOTE: Thanks to KoalArtichaut for noting a typo here; in several spots, it said Illaoi Shen rather than Illaoi Jarvan.


Ekko Jinx

Another early ladder-smasher that Jason saw coming yesterday, that joins Team Deep in being a pre-patch powerhouse that diligently dodged the hammer, and currently smacks at 58% in around 300 games.

Regions
Shurima
21 cards
Piltover & Zaun
19 cards
Rarities
29 200
champion
6
epic
6
rare
6
common
22
eternal
standard
Mana cost
3
0
14
1
9
2
2
3
12
4
0
5
0
6
0
7+
Champions
6
4
Ekko
3
Ekko
4
Jinx
3
Jinx
Landmarks
3
1
Ancient Preparations
3
Ancient Preparations
Followers
16
1
Dropboarder
3
Dropboarder
1
Forge Chief
2
Forge Chief
1
Forsaken Baccai
3
Forsaken Baccai
2
Aspiring Chronomancer
3
Aspiring Chronomancer
4
Augmented Clockling
2
Augmented Clockling
4
Voice of the Risen
3
Voice of the Risen
Spells
15
0
Feral Prescience
3
Feral Prescience
1
Scrying Sands
3
Scrying Sands
2
Mystic Shot
3
Mystic Shot
2
Time Trick
3
Time Trick
3
Quicksand
2
Quicksand
4
Rite of Negation
1
Rite of Negation

Doing Great

Here we have two decks that are also doing very well – a tad below the Early Powerhouses but rock-solid nevertheless.


Malphite Taliyah

Add a plus one to Team Deep!

GrandpaRoji's baby had its best run ever during the previous patch cycle, and this new post-balance landscape suits it like a rock glove: a 55% win rate in about 450 games, this may be another LoR meta for Papa Mountain to smash!

Regions
Shurima
22 cards
Mount Targon
18 cards
Rarities
29 400
champion
6
epic
6
rare
7
common
21
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
6
1
7
2
10
3
5
4
7
5
2
6
3
7+
Champions
6
5
Taliyah
3
Taliyah
7
Malphite
3
Malphite
Landmarks
10
1
Ancient Preparations
3
Ancient Preparations
2
Mystic Vortex
2
Mystic Vortex
3
Dragon Roost
2
Dragon Roost
4
Salt Spire
3
Salt Spire
Followers
13
1
Chip
3
Chip
2
Blue Sentinel
2
Blue Sentinel
2
Rock Hopper
3
Rock Hopper
3
Rockbear Shepherd
3
Rockbear Shepherd
6
Stonebreaker
2
Stonebreaker
Spells
11
3
Desert Duel
2
Desert Duel
3
Quicksand
3
Quicksand
4
Rite of Negation
2
Rite of Negation
5
Celestial Wonder
2
Celestial Wonder
5
Sunburst
2
Sunburst

Aatrox BWBilgewater

Aaand the best Aatrox deck post-patch is…

… this really weird Jagged TaskmasterJagged Taskmaster-with-Equipment-on-top oddity, which was fringe-playable last week and has now leapfrogged ahead of both Kayn and Vayne to become the best World Ender deck.

Regions
Bilgewater
27 cards
Runeterra
13 cards
Rarities
26 800
champion
2
epic
14
rare
8
common
16
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
20
1
5
2
3
3
7
4
0
5
2
6
3
7+
Champions
2
6
Aatrox
2
Aatrox
Landmarks
3
4
Reaver's Row
3
Reaver's Row
Equipments
8
1
The Darkin Ballista
3
The Darkin Ballista
1
The Darkin Bloodletters
3
The Darkin Bloodletters
2
The Darkin Fan
1
The Darkin Fan
2
The Darkin Lodestone
1
The Darkin Lodestone
Followers
22
1
Buhru Cultist
3
Buhru Cultist
1
Crackshot Corsair
3
Crackshot Corsair
1
Jagged Butcher
2
Jagged Butcher
1
Shellshocker
3
Shellshocker
1
Watchful Idol
3
Watchful Idol
2
Jagged Taskmaster
3
Jagged Taskmaster
4
Steem
2
Steem
7
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
3
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
Spells
5
3
Double Trouble
3
Double Trouble
4
The Unending Wave
2
The Unending Wave

Having a Good Time

Here we have two nerfed decks and a buffed archetype that are doing okay, putting a decent 52-53% win rate.


Ashe LeBlanc

Is probably fitting that, for its third birthday, LoR goes full circle with AsheAshe, the Champion that greeted you when logged in during Open Beta: after many (many!) patches in which some sort of Ashe LeBlanc buff seeped through the patch notes (without any noticeable bump in the deck's performance), and after Rotation finally turned the Ice Queen and the Black Rose into two of the Queens of the LoR Ladder, Ashe got a nerf.

And it seems to have been fairly big, because although still very playable (52% in about 500 games), this is definitely not the Juggernaut that ruled the LoR meta until two days ago.

Regions
Noxus
17 cards
Freljord
23 cards
Rarities
31 100
champion
6
epic
7
rare
10
common
17
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
9
1
6
2
6
3
9
4
4
5
1
6
5
7+
Champions
6
3
LeBlanc
3
LeBlanc
4
Ashe
3
Ashe
Followers
19
1
Omen Hawk
3
Omen Hawk
2
Icevale Archer
2
Icevale Archer
2
Trifarian Gloryseeker
3
Trifarian Gloryseeker
3
Avarosan Trapper
2
Avarosan Trapper
4
Trifarian Assessor
3
Trifarian Assessor
5
Avarosan Hearthguard
3
Avarosan Hearthguard
6
Revna, the Lorekeeper
1
Revna, the Lorekeeper
8
Incisive Tactician
2
Incisive Tactician
Spells
15
1
Brittle Steel
3
Brittle Steel
1
Elixir of Iron
3
Elixir of Iron
2
Here to Help
1
Here to Help
3
Flash Freeze
1
Flash Freeze
4
Bloody Business
3
Bloody Business
5
Harsh Winds
1
Harsh Winds
7
Reckoning
3
Reckoning

Riven Samira Pantheon

Samira Varus rose to prominence less than two weeks ago – as RubinZoo noted:

In this case, the nerf seems to have hit the spot: Samira Varus (with and without Riven) seems thus far kept in check…

… and, as an interesting development, the current mellower field has allowed Samira Pantheon Riven a chance to shine, thus far becoming the best SamiraSamira deck.

Regions
Mount Targon
21 cards
Noxus
19 cards
Rarities
29 300
champion
6
epic
5
rare
12
common
17
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
6
1
17
2
10
3
7
4
0
5
0
6
0
7+
Champions
6
2
Samira
2
Samira
3
Riven
1
Riven
4
Pantheon
3
Pantheon
Equipments
5
1
The Darkin Ballista
3
The Darkin Ballista
2
The Darkin Lodestone
2
The Darkin Lodestone
Followers
14
1
Blade Squire
3
Blade Squire
2
Grave Physician
1
Grave Physician
2
Rune Squire
3
Rune Squire
3
Iula
2
Iula
3
Wandering Shepherd
2
Wandering Shepherd
3
Wounded Whiteflame
3
Wounded Whiteflame
Spells
15
2
Entrancing Lure
1
Entrancing Lure
2
Guiding Touch
2
Guiding Touch
2
Hush
1
Hush
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
2
Shield Vault
1
Shield Vault
2
Transfusion
1
Transfusion
3
Brutal Skirmish
2
Brutal Skirmish
4
Furious Wielder
2
Furious Wielder
4
The Expanse's Protection
2
The Expanse's Protection

Oh, Susenna!

Here comes good ol' Nasus, now Samira's on her knees, an' he's going to SIShadow Isles, his undying love to see.

Regions
Shurima
12 cards
Shadow Isles
28 cards
Rarities
32 900
champion
6
epic
9
rare
8
common
17
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
3
1
11
2
7
3
2
4
7
5
7
6
3
7+
Champions
6
5
Senna
3
Senna
6
Nasus
3
Nasus
Equipments
2
1
The Darkin Halberd
2
The Darkin Halberd
Followers
11
2
Ceaseless Sentry
3
Ceaseless Sentry
2
Fading Icon
2
Fading Icon
3
Merciless Hunter
2
Merciless Hunter
3
The Undying
3
The Undying
4
Baccai Sandspinner
1
Baccai Sandspinner
Spells
21
1
Quietus
1
Quietus
2
Glimpse Beyond
3
Glimpse Beyond
2
Hate Spike
3
Hate Spike
3
Quicksand
2
Quicksand
4
Rite of Negation
1
Rite of Negation
5
Eradication
3
Eradication
5
Grasp of the Undying
1
Grasp of the Undying
6
Piercing Darkness
2
Piercing Darkness
6
Vengeance
2
Vengeance
7
Castigate
3
Castigate

Perhaps Not Dead Yet…

These two (former?) Juggernauts still hang in there, struggling at the 50% win rate mark. While news of their death may be premature, above all for Karma Sett, they seem to have been torpedoed below the flotation line.


Karma Sett

Yang has high hopes for Karma, and Karma MTTargon in particular – while the Targon version does show promise (in a tiny sample), the most popular Karma deck is definitely struggling at around 50%.

Regions
Ionia
21 cards
Piltover & Zaun
19 cards
Rarities
28 700
champion
6
epic
5
rare
9
common
20
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
2
1
9
2
5
3
13
4
9
5
2
6
0
7+
Champions
6
5
Karma
3
Karma
5
Sett
3
Sett
Followers
10
1
Acorn, the Hextechnician
2
Acorn, the Hextechnician
3
Shadow Assassin
2
Shadow Assassin
4
Augmented Clockling
3
Augmented Clockling
4
Smooth Mixologist
3
Smooth Mixologist
Spells
24
2
High Note
3
High Note
2
Mystic Shot
3
Mystic Shot
2
Tag Out!
3
Tag Out!
3
Aftershock
3
Aftershock
4
Caustic Riff
3
Caustic Riff
4
Concussive Palm
2
Concussive Palm
4
Deny
2
Deny
5
Place Your Bets
3
Place Your Bets
6
Hexbliterator
2
Hexbliterator

Still, it's still too early to tell: with the amount of flexibility Karma Sett has (including the ability to work with different regions), we'll see what they can do once brewers get enough time to play.


Leona Samira

Attacked from both sides, Leona Samira is still standing, if barely. Enjoying a lot less flexibility than Karma Sett in its build, we'll see if they can muster through the changes.

Regions
Noxus
16 cards
Mount Targon
24 cards
Rarities
29 200
champion
6
epic
6
rare
6
common
22
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
10
1
15
2
9
3
0
4
6
5
0
6
0
7+
Champions
6
2
Samira
3
Samira
5
Leona
3
Leona
Followers
25
1
Crimson Pigeon
3
Crimson Pigeon
1
Legion Saboteur
3
Legion Saboteur
1
Precious Pet
1
Precious Pet
1
Solari Soldier
3
Solari Soldier
2
Solari Shieldbearer
3
Solari Shieldbearer
2
Solari Sunhawk
3
Solari Sunhawk
2
Twilit Protector
3
Twilit Protector
3
Sun Guardian
3
Sun Guardian
5
Rahvun, Daylight's Spear
3
Rahvun, Daylight's Spear
Spells
9
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
3
Might
3
Might
3
Noxian Fervor
3
Noxian Fervor

Doing Downright Poorly

Samira Fizz seems out of the race – nerfs to Champ and Followers seem to have been too much.

Aurelion Sol Diana is quite popular, for some unfathomable reason (although "Don't try everything you see on YouTube" comes to mind…) – its numbers are awful, so don't.

Same goes for Azir Renekton Shurima – don't.

And just in case you were wondering, Shyvana FRFreljord is not a thing right now.


Wrapping Up


The LoR Meta has been shaken quite a bit! As expected, non-nerfed Old Dogs are the forerunners right now, but there's also buffed decks and untouched fringe decks in the race right now.

We'll see in the coming days who comes out on top!


If you have any questions or comments, or more data you may need, feel free to:

Poke me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HerkoKerghans,

Or find more writings on substack: https://riwan.substack.com/


Technical Note – About overall archetypes and specific decks, and what we mean by "LoR best decks"

Most data sites (including our LoR Meta Tier List, and our meta stats page) and articles like Leer's Legends of Runeterra Meta Decks Report sort LoR meta decks by archetype ("Archetype" being the aggregate of all decks in LoR with a specific champion combination) – that's also how matchup tables are shown in pretty much all data sites.

In this article, we'll sort these decks by the best specific decklist for each archetype. And, whenever we talk about LoR decks in general, or best Legends of Runeterra decks in particular, we'll always be referring to specific lists (while reserving "archetype" to denominate the aggregate of all decks with a particular champion pair).

And, since in each archetype some decks fare better than others (and sometimes the difference is quite noticeable), we'll broadly group the best LoR decks in four arbitrary categories, by the number of games played in the data samples we check:

  • Juggernauts: LoR decks with more than 2100 games – these are the best tried-and-true meta decks in Legends of Runeterra at the time of writing.
  • Heavyweights: LoR decks with between 2100 and 900 games played – other excellent choices, with large enough samples to confidently say, "Yeah, this works."
  • Punching Up: LoR decks with between 900 and 400 games played – we're entering the Land of Small Sample Sizes here, but as far as numbers go, these decks can put up one hell of a fight into the current LoR meta.
  • YMMV: decks with less than 450 games in the last three days – fringe, risky stuff, but here's where you usually find the spice!

As a rule of thumb, LoR decks with a win rate (WR) above 52% catch our eye; above 53% are eye-widening, and anything with a WR over 55% is exceptional.

Sources: Legna's LoR data website, Mastering Runeterra Meta Tier List, and our LoR meta stats page.