Note: This is an older article.
For the most recent data, check the latest LoR Best Decks article, or our Meta Tier List!
Howdy, and welcome to our weekly selection of the best decks in Legends of Runeterra meta!
As explained in the Technical Note at the end of this article, we'll first take a glance at a snapshot of our LoR Meta Decks Tier List, which sorts archetypes (that's to say, the aggregate of all decks with the exact same Champions) by popularity, and then we'll dive into the data to check how individual decks perform, to showcase the best LoR decks.
Best LoR Decks – Turrets and Darkness
With the Runeterra Open Worlds Qualifier just around the corner, these are the 7 most popular Standard LoR decks according to Legna the Mastering Runeterra Meta Tier List:
Sources: MaRu's data (which samples Plat+ players) and Legna's data (which samples High Diamond & Masters players) – both sources in turn get their data directly from Riot (via Riot's API).
Overall LoR Ladder Trends
As we near the next Runeterra Open, the LoR ladder meta seems pretty settled, and not too much has changed since last week – perhaps not the most thrilling meta when it comes to new toys, but definitely varied and well-balanced. As one Runeterra Open Champion described it, the current Runeterra meta is objectively good, but feels a bit dull. Or as MajiinBae said, "It's like playing an eternal format but without the power."
That being said, the current Runeterra meta is indeed varied and well-balanced: no deck is broken, and several archetypes and champs are well-represented.
By the way, do bear in mind all the data in this article is for the LoR ladder, so if you're looking for recommendations about Tournament Decks, you'll probably want to check Sorry's Lineups for the Runeterra Opens World Qualifier.
LoR Juggernauts – Best Legends of Runeterra Decks
Here we showcase Runeterra meta decks with more than 2100 games in the last three days, and good-to-great win rate – the best tried-and-true tools to be found in our LoR Meta Decks Tier List!
Nasus Veigar
Like last week, Nasus
Veigar
topples the popularity charts when we look at specific deck lists: although Heimer Jayce remains (by a tiny margin) the most popular archetype on the LoR ladder, it's Veigar Nasus (by several Shuriman miles) who has the deck with the most games played: more than 6,000 games in the last three days according to Legna's data, and holding an impressive win rate above 55%.
25 cards
15 cards
32 500
As Leer noted in last Monday's LoR Meta Report, both Nasus and Heimer are part of what Leer calls the LoR Emotions Triangle: Veigar Nasus, like Heimer Jayce, has an edge against Illaoi Swain (while also stomping over Jax Ornn, Aatrox Quinn Vayne and the ascending Scouts)…
… but is weak to Jinx Kennen (and very weak to Fizz Samira), themselves countered by Illaoi Swain.
Heimer Jayce Shadows
Professor and Student seem to have agreed on the perfect formula… maybe!
Heimer Jayce is a very adaptable shell that tends to have lots of slightly different variations whenever it becomes popular – this week, though, the majority of pilots have agreed that the version seen below, with close to 2800 games in the last three days, is the one to pilot:
9 cards
31 cards
28 000
A couple of copies of Epic Scraptraption
seem like a good idea, and some top pilots can't stop singing epic stanzas about the card.
As seen in Leer's LoR Emotions Triangle, Heimer Jayce wrecks Illaoi Swain, and may be responsible for the shrinking of Targon Teemo's play rate – but outside of that, Heimer Jayce is as fair as a LoR deck can get: against most foes, Heimer Jayce's odds are almost never below 45%, nor above 55%. And against Nasus Veigar in particular, the odds are almost exactly 50/50.
Further reading: Heimerdinger Jayce Deck Guide
LoR Heavyweights – Strong LoR Decks
These LoR decks have between 1000 and 2100 games in the last three days – solid choices for climbing the Runeterra ladder.
Jinx Kennen
Pilots have finally caught up with what the LoR meta was yelling from the rooftops, and Jinx Kennen has seen a huge boost in play rate: close to 1700 games in the last three days this week, and winrate close to 56%.
25 cards
15 cards
25 200
Jinx Kennen absolutely demolishes Fizz Samira, has an edge against Heimer Jayce, consistently beats Nasus Veigar, and slices Lurks into ribbons – on the flip side, it has a huge problem against Illaoi Swain (it's one of the most lopsided matches among Top Dogs), and it's fairly weak against Scouts.
Further reading: Jinx Bandle City Discard Aggro Deck Guide
Miss Fortune Quinn, aka Scouts
Quinn and Miss Fortune have returned to the LoR meta in top shape and full force, showcasing one of the highest winrates today (above a crazy 57%) across 1500 games.
What's more, their deck may not have been fully refined yet: there are other builds showing solid performance that include Blocking Badgerbear
, or trim a couple of Followers and make room for a few more Spells, Silence and Suppress
in particular.
28 cards
12 cards
32 400
Scouts are fairly weak versus Nasus Veigar (not exactly an ideal spot to be, in the current Runeterra meta), and roughly 50/50 against Heimer Jayce, but very favored against Jinx Kennen, the Teemo decks that still remain, and Fizz Samira.
Further reading: Miss Fortune Quinn Scouts Deck Guide
Samira Fizz
Last week, Fizz
Samira
showed it was not dead – this week, it suggests that it's really the death of other decks that we should worry about, because once against this stylish pair shows winrates above 57%!
And it keeps adapting, too: the best Fizz Samira deck this week has switched Elegant Edge
and Father Fury
for Jagged Butcher
and Coral Creatures
, and Heavy Metal
for Eye of Nagakabouros
.
28 cards
12 cards
34 300
Samira Fizz right now is superb against Nasus Veigar (being in fact one of the best counters to the Big Dog that you can bring to the LoR ladder right now) and very solid against Heimer Jayce, making it an optimal choice for facing the current Juggernauts – it's a bit weak against Illaio Swain, though, very weak against Aatrox Quinn Vayne, and hopeless against Bandle Jinx decks.
Illaoi Swain
Priestess and Grand General have kept chugging along, with their best deck putting up a solid 53% win rate in a bit more than 1000 games in the last three days.
27 cards
13 cards
28 800
With Teemo decks in the decline (against which Illaoi Swain is excellent) there is a bit less prey, but Illaoi Swain is always happy to face Fizz Samira and Bandle, also having a small edge against Scouts.
The current Juggernauts, though, are a problem: both Nasus Veigar and Heimer Jayce are very rough matchups.
Further reading: Swain Illaoi Deck Guide
Puffcaps Galore: Bandle Teemo
Now, this is an interesting twist: Teemo decks are, overall, in the decline, but the current LoR meta seems to have shifted in such a way that Bandle City Teemo
is currently the most popular, rather than the 
Targon version (which, earlier in this patch, was clearly the strongest).
Bandle Teemo's list of predators is fairly long, including Top Dogs such as Heimer Jayce, Bandle Jinx, and above Illaoi Swain (who may be in large part responsible for the decline in Teemo decks), but here's the light at the end of the tunnel: Bandle Teemo is excellent against Nasus Veigar, and can also go toe-to-toe with the ascending Fizz Samira.
And, with a 53% winrate overall, Sump Monument
is very much still in the LoR ladder menu, for better or worse.
24 cards
16 cards
26 000
Pyke Rek'Sai, aka Lurkers
Now that Annie Jhin is out of the Runeterra meta (for the first time since they became a thing), Lurkers may claim back the mantle of LoR Deck That Never Goes Away – nothing spectacular this week, with just a very modest 51%+ win rate, but as usual it's always there.
Pyke Rek'Sai gets wrecked by Jinx Kennen and overrun by Illaoi Swain, but has game against most other Top Dogs.
25 cards
15 cards
26 400
Punching Up – LoR Decks Doing Great
Runeterra decks with between 500 and 1000 games in the last three days – we're sailing into small data samples, yet all decks here have quite a few games under their belts.
Jax Ornn
Weapon Master and Forge God are still alive!
They were on the downswing last week, but managed to cling to an okay 52% win rate – the play rate of the most popular Jax Ornn deck has dropped to 700 games, though.
21 cards
19 cards
24 800
Jax Ornn lacks good matchups against Top Dogs – it can go toe-to-toe with several of them (like Illaoi Swain, Heimer Jayce or Bandle Jinx), but it doesn't have a matchup that it clearly dominates.
And, on the backswing, it loses badly to Nasus Veigar and Bandle Teemo, while also having a bit of trouble against Samira Fizz.
Gnar Neeko
Although dropping in play rate, Gnar Neeko has managed to improve its performance to 54% (a dynamic that is not uncommon once the LoR meta settles: as some players drift away from a deck, and only the die-hards remain loyal, the deck's win rate tends to improve).
So, who knows: we may end this patch cycle with at least one competitive deck for a Heart of the Huntress champion!
It's bad against Nasus Veigar, disastrous against Fizz Samira, and its win rate drops sharply when looking at Masters-only data, though, so pilots beware!
Further reading: Gnar Neeko Deck Guide
26 cards
14 cards
30 600
Targon Teemo
Exhibiting a similar trend to Gnar Neeko (play rate dropping while performance improves a lot), Targon Teemo has been pushed to the fringes but, at least in the hands of seasoned players, seems to be doing wonders: 57% win rate across close to 600 games in the last three days.
Heimer Jayce and Illaoi Swain are nearly-insurmountable battles, but Targon Teemo has a solid edge against Veigar Nasus.
Further reading: Targon Teemo Deck Guide
22 cards
18 cards
25 800
Jhin Gnar Norra
Jhin
is not having a good patch, and this is the first LoR meta since he arrived at Runeterra in which Annie Jhin is not a factor. But, this week, his pairing with Gnar
and Norra
shows quite a bit of promise.
Furthermore, Bandle Jhin (with either Norra or Gnar, and sometimes both) has been a developing trend throughout all this expansion, with varying degrees of success, so pilots may not have found the optimal build just yet.
14 cards
26 cards
28 500
Your Mileage May Vary
If none of the above floats your boat, here are a handful of fringe options that are doing well – sample sizes are small, though, so tread carefully!
Aatrox Quinn Vayne
With great odds against Teemo decks and Fizz Samira, Aatrox Quinn Vayne remains a very solid choice for the current LoR meta.
Further reading: Aatrox Quinn Vayne Deck Guide
28 cards
12 cards
34 400
Ashe LeBlanc
While a fringe deck, Ashe LeBlanc has seen a bit of a rebound this week, both in play rate and win rate.
Nothing veteran players haven't seen before, but if you're new to Runeterra here's a deck that, with its focus on Frostbite , plays a bit differently than anything else.
22 cards
18 cards
28 900
Yuumi Norra
Yuumi Norra may be the real-deal, after all – it was very playable last week, and keeps showing good performance!
25 cards
15 cards
29 500
Jarvan IV Shen
Another deck that was both popular and potent some weeks ago, pushed to the fringes in the current Runeterra meta – it's awful against today's Juggernauts, namely Heimer Jayce and Nasus Veigar, but has game against Illaoi Swain, Teemo, and Lurkers.
Further reading: Shen Jarvan IV Deck Guide
19 cards
21 cards
25 600
Gnar Nidalee
Gnar seems bent on giving Heart of the Huntress champions a fighting chance, and manages to make Nidalee fringe-playable.
25 cards
15 cards
29 000
Wrapping Up
As we near the next Runeterra Open, the LoR ladder meta seems pretty settled – perhaps not the most thrilling when it comes to new toys, but definitely varied and well-balanced.
Do bear in mind all the data in this article is for the LoR ladder, so if you're looking for recommendations about Tournament Decks, you'll probably want to check Sorry's Lineups for the Runeterra Opens World Qualifier.
Hope you've enjoyed today's best LoR decks selection, and good luck out there!
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 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, top 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, "