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 the 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.
We have the Last Chance Qualifier just around the corner…
… so we'll look at Standard data (since that's the LCQ's format) in the first half of this article, and check the Eternal numbers during the second half.
Best LoR Decks for the Standard Ladder
These are the most popular Standard LoR archetypes according to the Mastering Runeterra Meta Tier List:
Sources: MaRu's data (which samples Plat+ players)
Overall LoR Ladder Trends – Standard
With the Standard Last Chance Qualifier right around the corner (last train to LoR Worlds 2023, folks – everybody can compete), the Standard LoR meta has changed a lot in the last seven days.
Nearly out of nowhere, Gwen Zed has taken the Runeterra ladder by storm. Heimer Norra also enjoys a huge increase in popularity and performance, while Jarvan Shen and Lurkers, the former powerhouses, have seen their performance drop sharply.
Juggernauts – Best Legends of Runeterra Decks for the Standard Ladder
Decks in this category have at least 2100 games played in the last three days, and good to great win rates – as far as current numbers go, these are the best LoR decks in the Standard ladder.
Gwen Zed
Gwen
Zed
was already a scary thing last week (when it had the highest winrate of all the Standard deck we showcased) but with a somewhat low play rate.
Not anymore: Gwen Zed is the most popular archetype overall and has the most played specific decklist by a massive margin. It went from 900+ games played in a three-day window last week, to more than 4000 games today in a similar time frame.
And with one of the best win rates in Standard: nearly 57%.
15 cards
25 cards
27 000
The interesting thing is that Gwen Zed has several weak spots: Shen Jarvan is a tough matchup, Heimer Norra is disastrous, Scouts stomp all over the Seamstress and Shadow Master…
… yet Gwen Zed thrive by crushing Lurkers and Tryndamere Volibear, having good odds against The Poro King, and overall demolishing weaker, unrefined brews.
Heimerdinger Norra
Another surprise this week: pretty much out of nowhere (seven days ago they were an extremely fringe option) Heimerdinger
Norra
leaps to the forefront and with 2200 games played it has become one of the most popular decks out there.
The Yordles' performance is nothing spectacular (just an okay 52%+ win rate), but they happen to target three popular decks: Heimer Norra beats Gwen Zed in two out of three games, and it's nearly an auto-win against Shen Jarvan. And the Yordles also have an edge against Lurkers.
On the other hand, Heimer Norra gets shut down by The Poro King and Tryndamere Volibear.
25 cards
15 cards
29 400
Shen Jarvan
Shen
Jarvan IV
is not having its best week, but honoring Demacia's fighting spirit it's still alive and kicking.
Its main problem is the rise of Heimer Norra, which is close to auto-lose by card game standards – nearly 75% odds for the Yordles. And the rise of Volibear Tryndamere is also bad news: While not as lopsided as Heimer Norra, it's still a fairly lousy matchup.
Shen Jarvan has a solid edge against Gwen Zed, though, and is also able to demolish Lurkers and Ashe LeBlanc.
21 cards
19 cards
27 600
Heavyweights – Strong LoR Decks for the Standard Ladder
These decks have between 1200 and 2400 games in the last three days – solid heavy-hitters for your LoR laddering needs!
Pyke Rek'Sai, aka Lurkers
Well… how the mighty have fallen!
After an excellent run, Pyke
Rek'Sai
is having its worst week in months and barely manage to reach playable status.
The combined assault from Heimer Norra, Jarven Shen, and above all Gwen Zed has pushed Pyke's posse's performance nearly under the water.
Lurkers are still excellent against Tryndamere Volibear, but that's their sole good target among strong decks.
Further reading: Pyke Rek'Sai Deck Guide
15 cards
25 cards
26 400
Tryndamere Volibear
The buff to Warmother's Call
has firmly revived Volibear
, and it looks like the angry bear will end up this Season as the only Standard-playable Champion from Fate's Voyage: Onward – which is a bit ironic, given than during the first two patch cycles it was Nilah and Jana who dominated the ladder.
At any rate, Volibear Tryndamere
has proved it has what it takes. With 1500 games this week and punching at 55%, this deck is not a fluke.
Like last week, Tryndamere Volibear finds itself in an interesting triangle: It murders Heimer Norra, but it has an awful matchup against Gwen Zed, which itself dies to Heimer Norra.
These big boys also have a tough time against Lurkers and The Poro King.
15 cards
25 cards
36 500
The Poro King Yuumi
His Fluffy Majesty has carved a cozy spot in the current Standard LoR meta, with The Poro King
Yuumi
showcasing an excellent 55% win rate in close to 1500 games in the last three days.
And such cozyness extends to its matchup spread: while other decks we've seen thus far have some fairly polarizing matchups (like Gwen Zed having 67% odds against Trynd Volibear but 35% versus Heimer Norra), The Poro King Yuumi tends to have a milder spread.
His Fluffiness does have some problems against Gwen Zed and Lurkers, but in both cases his royal chances are above 45%. And he does have an edge against Tryndamere Volibear and Shen Jarvan, but of just about 55% odds against each of them.
The one fight the King does clearly dominate is against Heimer Norra, but again not by a auto-win levels.
28 cards
12 cards
24 000
Punching Up – Standard LoR Decks Doing Great
Standard LoR decks with between 800 and 1200 in the last three days – we're sailing into small data samples here, so pilots beware!
Bandle Kayle Teemo
Winged Protector and puffcapy Scout are having some wild ups and downs: They were doing amazing two weeks ago, last week their popularity dropped and pushed them to the fringes of the LoR meta, but now they surge quite spectacularly in popularity and performance. With close to 1100 games played, Kayle
Teemo
has one the highest winrates from among Standard LoR decks: close to a crazy 58%.
What's more: Kayle Teemo seems to have the upper hand against Gwn Zed, Shen Jarvan, Tryndamere Volibear, Lurkers, and may have a small edge against Heimer Norra. Only The Poro King looks like a bad matchup, but even that confrontation is inside the "Can Do" range.
If we go by current matchups, Kayle Teemo looks amazing against the current field.
11 cards
29 cards
33 300
Miss Fortune Quinn, aka Scouts
In a week of sharp ups and downs, Scouts are on the "down" side of the equation but still very much in the game: their win rate drops from an amazing 57% to a very solid 54%
While awful against Heimer Norra and soft to Jarvan Shen, Miss Fortune
Quinn
demolishes Gwen Zed and has good odds against Tryndamere Volibear.
28 cards
12 cards
32 600
Your Mileage May Vary
If none of the above floats your boat, here are a handful of more fringe options that are doing well on the Standard LoR ladder – sample sizes are small, though, so tread carefully!
Bandle Jinx
Don't sleep on Jinx
, folks! This is one of the decks with the highest win rate in Standard right now and has performed well for more than a week.
If you want punchy and off-meta, this is it!
22 cards
18 cards
15 600
Darius Gnar
Darius
Gnar
has certainly seen better times, but is still very playable and the joy of anybody with a taste for Overwhelm ing tactics.
Further reading: Darius Gnar Deck Guide
23 cards
17 cards
24 000
Annie Jhin
Blazing brat and bullet buff is another pair that is doing extremely well in the fringes.
25 cards
15 cards
27 500
Gwen Riven
Gwen Zed is all the rage now, but Zed is not the only other champ that got invited to the Opulent Foyer
. Riven has brought along her reforge crew, along with a couple of Enraged Firespitter
, and they are having a ball out there.
20 cards
20 cards
34 000
Best LoR Decks for the Eternal Ladder
These are the most popular Eternal LoR archetypes according to the Mastering Runeterra Meta Tier List:
Overall LoR Ladder Trends – Eternal
Perhaps given that the Eternal Open is behind us now, and the only remaining tickets to Worlds can be won in the Standard LCQ, the Eternal LoR ladder hasn't seen too many changes this week and the majority of the most popular Eternal decks today are the same as last week.
Juggernauts – Best Legends of Runeterra Decks for the Eternal Ladder
Decks in this category have at least 2100 games played in the last three days, and good to great win rates – as far as current numbers go, these are the best LoR decks in the Eternal ladder.
Trundle Volibear
Volibear, Warmother's Call and Shadow Isles seem a match made in heaven – Tryndamere Volibear is among the strongest Standard decks, while Trundle
Volibear is one of the best LoR decks for the Eternal ladder and reached the top of the Eternal Open last weekend in two different shards.
A bit like TLC back in the day, Trundle Volibear's main problem is Azirelia. It also suffers against Katarina Vladimir, and is not too happy to face Jax Ornn.
But it does not lack easy prey: Nilah TF, Nasus Thresh, Norra Swain and Plunder are all matchups that Trundle Volibear clearly dominates.
9 cards
31 cards
39 000
Katarina Vladimir
Katarina
Vladimir
may have seen like a weird fluke last week, but nowadays there's no doubt: it's one of the scariest things on the Eternal ladder, and one of the best bets (the other would be Poppy Ziggs) if you want to climb fast.
It trounces Trundle Voli, obliterates Azir Irelia, farms Nilah TF and Plunder… the only decks that can turn the tables on Kat Vladimir are Jax Ornn and Norra Swain.
22 cards
18 cards
32 500
Heavyweights – Strong LoR Decks for the Eternal Ladder
These decks have between 1200 and 2400 games in the last three days – solid heavy-hitters for your LoR laddering needs!
Norra Swain
With a little help from Lord Broadmane
and a murder of Ravenous Flock
s, Norra Swain
keeps packing a powerful punch and has maintained its 56% win rate in about 1900 games.
Norra Swain seems quite apt at keeping bullies at bay: it's one of Azir Irelia's worst nightmares and can also put a dent in Kat Vladimir's performance.
Jax Ornn, Trundle Volibear and Nilah TF would be Norra Swain's weak spots, but the first two fall in the 45/55 range and only the third is markedly disfavored.
15 cards
25 cards
27 700
Poppy Ziggs
Poppy
Ziggs
had no showings among the Eternal Open top-fours, but hooooly heck does it have a showing on the Eternal LoR ladder!
Like last week, Poppy Ziggs has the highest winrate from among all decks (in both formats!) – if you go by numbers, this is without a doubt the best deck in all of Runeterra.
It does have a couple of very weak spots, namely Kat Vlad and Jax Ornn, but it has several extremely favored matchups among popular decks (including Azirelia and Trundle Voli, both of which Poppy Ziggs pounds into sand) and steamrolls most weaker brews.
18 cards
22 cards
28 800
Nilah Twisted Fate
As an archetype, Twisted Fate
Nilah
's performance has dropped sharply, but that seems related to brewers and pilots still not agreeing on which the best build is – the most popular version is barely above average, but the second most popular is doing great:
25 cards
15 cards
32 400
Azir Irelia
Azir
Irelia
is another archetype for which brewers and pilots have yet to agree on the optimal build (although now that there are no Eternal tournaments in the horizon this patch, the pressure to find the optimal build will most likely vanish).
21 cards
19 cards
26 700
Azirelia obliterates Trundle Volibear but has a hard time against Norra Swain and Nasus Thresh; Plunder and Nilah TF are also disfavored.
Jax Ornn
Arguably the best Eternal deck in a Tournament setting (with a lot of showings in the top 4 of all three shards during the Eternal Open, and reaching #1 in two different lineups), Jax
Ornn
's play rate has also surged on the Eternal ladder.
And, by matchup spread, the reason is clear: Jax Ornn has no weak spot among strong decks (Azirelia and Poppy Ziggs have 50/50 odds, but that's about it), and is favored against Nilah TF, Norra Swain, Kat Vlad, and Trundle Voli.
23 cards
17 cards
23 400
Punching Up – Eternal LoR Decks Doing Great
Eternal LoR decks with between 800 and 1200 in the last three days – we're sailing into small data samples here, so pilots beware!
Gangplank Sejuani
Gangplank
Sejuani
has lost a bit of steam but still punches at a solid 53% win rate.
The Plunder posse has a bit of a rough time against Norra Swain, Trundle Volibear, Kat Vlad, Ziggs Poppy and Jax Ornn, which explains its decreased performance. But they are solid against Azir Irelia and perform fairly well overall.
14 cards
26 cards
26 500
Ryze
Probably not great news for some (given the strong dislike for the Rune Mage that some players have) but here we have it: after many metas in the shadows, Ryze
has risen again.
It has of the worst matchups in all of Runeterra against Azirelia and Poppy Ziggs, but can beat Trundle Voli and Jax Ornn, and it's clearly capable of thriving against weaker brews.
19 cards
21 cards
20 200
Draven Vi
Draven
was doing very will with Vi last week, but nowadays Rumble
is his preferred partner in crime. Not a huge play rate (just a bit over 800 games in the last three days) but spectacular win rate and seemingly excellent odds against Azirelia, Trundle Voli, and Norra Swain.
17 cards
23 cards
29 200
Other Eternal Considerations
If none of the above floats your boat, here are a handful of more fringe options that are doing well on the Eternal LoR ladder – sample sizes are small, though, so tread carefully!
- Aphelios Viktor, with good showing in the Eternal Open,
- Enduring Elise
Freljord – there are several versions, including some with Kalista, - Nasus Thresh, who never grows old,
- Annie Vladimir, a very different deck from Kat Vlad,
- Darius Elise, a throwback to the original Spiders.
Wrapping Up
With the Eternal Open behind us, the Eternal ladder will probably stay pretty stable for the reminder of this season.
But with the LCQ right ahead, there may be a few surprises next week for the Standard ladder.
I hope you've found your weapon of choice in today's 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 1200 games played – other excellent choices, with large enough samples to confidently say, "Yeah, this works."
- Punching Up: LoR decks with between 1200 and 800 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.
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.
Where does this data come from?
Directly from Riot (via Riot's API) – in other words, all the numbers in this article are "from the horse's mouth," so to speak.
Liver, our wonderful coder and unsung MaRu 🐐 (also in charge of designing the website) makes Riot's data automagically appear in our meta tier list and meta stats page, and all-around LoR 🐐 Legna shares his data (from the same source, although following a different set of players) with us too.
