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.
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
The current LoR Standard meta is a puzzling example of self-restrain. It's crystal clear which are the best decks against the current field (namely Galio
Elder Dragon
Morgana
and Teemo
Yuumi
), but unlike previous metas in which pilots flocked to and flooded the ladder with the top choices, both decks have actually seen their play rate decrease this week.
They may be tyrants, but they are gentle tyrants!
There are also a couple of novelties among less popular options (including yet another Elder Morgana deck that is making a lot of waves…), so let's check what the strongest LoR decks are this week.
Juggernauts – Best Legends of Runeterra Decks for the Standard Ladder
Decks in this category have at least 2400 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.
Galio Elder Dragon Morgana
Reigning supreme and practically solved (the most popular list has also been the best-performing, and hasn't changed a single card in weeks) Galio Elder Dragon Morgana is simply the best weapon to bring to the LoR ladder.
What's puzzling is that its play rate has decreased a bit compared with last week – as noted, pilots are showing quite a bit of restrain, and rather than overwhelming the ladder with what is the absolute best choice, G.E.M.'s play rate is well inside normal levels.
Currently, with 8100 games played in the last three days and a sky-high 60% win rate, GEM is unstoppable even when a couple of other popular decks do nothing but try to stop it: Mordekaiser Morgana can consistently beat GEM, Mordekaiser Elder Dragon Viego has large edge on it, and Gwen Zed is slightly favored…
… but to no avail: overall, Galio Elder Morgana is far and away the best thing you can do right now on the LoR meta.
Further Reading: Leer's Galio Elder Dragon Morgana Deck Guide
11 cards
29 cards
32 600
Teemo Yuumi
With perhaps the exception of one of the new-ish deck we'll see today, Teemo Yuumi is what you take to the ladder when you want to enjoy GEM-like win rates but without playing hexes and boons.
But, just as puzzling as in Eddie Morgalio's case, Teemo Yuumi's play rate has actually decreased this week – pilots don't seem to enjoy winning easy fights, perhaps?
At any rate, with 3400+ games and a win rate close to 59%, if you go by the numbers it's pretty clear this is the second-best option for climbing the LoR ladder.
Teemo Yuumi murders Mordekaiser decks (above all the Elder Viego variant, which is auto-win for the Yordles), also wiping the floor with Annie Jhin. It loses to GEM and Gwen Zed, but not by much – it's main predators are Elder Norra, Karma Sett, and the ascending Seraphine Sett, but (for now) none of them is overly popular.
21 cards
19 cards
33 300
Viego Elder Dragon Mordekaiser
Viego
Elder Dragon Mordekaiser
is very solid against Galio Elder Morgana, but that's it's only selling point (or one of its main selling points, depending on your stance on shirtless, big-sword-wielding kings).
And pilots seem to have finally come to grips with the fact that, while quite playable at a 52%, Elder Viego is not really an amazing climbing tool: It's play rate has been steadily decreasing and today showcases around 3000 games played in the last three days (down from around 4500 last week).
"Fast and furious" kills Elder Viego in no time flat – odds against Teemo Yuumi are brutal (below 20%), against Gwen Zed or Annie Jhin are also very low, and even the likes of Karma Sett or Caitlyn Teemo knock the shirtless king's lights out.
Elder Viego does have an edge over GEM, and can confidently beat Mordekaiser Morgana – but, overall, it's far from the best-performing deck out there.
Further reading: Sorry's Viego Mordekaiser Elder Dragon Deck Guide
31 cards
9 cards
25 000
Gwen Zed
While GEM's and Teemo Yuumi's decreased play rate is a bit puzzling, Gwen
Zed
's rise makes quite a bit of sense: it's not the best deck out there, but it has been putting an excellent performance for weeks now (win rate always above 55%), it's roughly 50/50 versus GEM, and has a small edge versus Teemo Yuumi.
It also kills Elder Viego most brutally, and wrecks a ton of weaker brews.
Gwen Zed's main current problem is Annie Jhin (another aggressive deck that keeps gaining traction), and Elder Norra.
Further reading: Sorry's Gwen Zed Deck Guide
15 cards
25 cards
27 000
Heavyweights – Strong LoR Decks for the Standard Ladder
These decks have between 1200 and 2400 games played in the last three days – thus far, they are among Runeterra's heavy-hitters!
Annie Jhin
Blazing brat and bullet buff keep gaining traction, and this week they have improved both in play rate (close to 1900 games played in the last three days) and performance, punching at a wonderful 57%.
They are close to 50/50 into Galio Elder Morgana, demolish Elder Viego, and are one of the best counters against the ascending Gwen Zed.
What ruins Annie Jhin's day is Teemo Yuumi; it's not unwinnable, but certainly quite the uphill struggle.
25 cards
15 cards
27 500
🔥Hot! Elder Dragon Morgana Shyvana
Yeah, this is pretty much "Elder Shyvana, but with Morgana" – it's basically the Elder Shyvana build we've seen all this patch, but with the grumpy ol' lizard relegated to just a deck-building tool and Morgana taking two champion slots. Plus a couple of Mageseeker Inquisitor
because, hey, it's high Curse season.
But!
Results thus far have been extremely impressive. The non-Morgana version is still around, punching at about 52% with 1700 games played – the yes-Morgana version sees a bit less play (just around 1300 games) but performance shoots all the way up to almost 60%.
And here are the kickers: the yes-Morg version seems close to 50/50 versus GEM (whereas the non-Mo version dies horribly); the Teemo Yuumi matchup goes from unfavored to very favored; and Gwen Zed is no longer a problem
Too early to tell how many waves this iteration will cause, but thus far it looks like it may end up being one of the best decks this patch.
27 cards
13 cards
32 600
Fizz Yuumi
Fizz
Yuumi has resurfaced (it had been a thing pretty much since the patch landed until two weeks ago, but then mostly faded), and while it's clearly not the best elusives deck out there, it punches at a nice 54%.
It's amazing against Teemo Yuumi, kills Elder Viego very fast, and unlike the Teemo version it does not fear Gwen Zed – but, on the other hand, it dies horribly to Eddie Morgalio.
19 cards
21 cards
27 300
Mordekaiser Morgana
Mordekaiser Morgana is a weird case: it remains one of the most popular archetypes even if it's performance is mediocre; and pilots haven't yet agreed on its best build, which seems to constantly get new tweaks.
The latest is adding three copies of The Darkin Halberd
, which pushes performance to 52% – like Elder Viego Mordekaiser, the Morgana version seems to exist to counter Galio Elder Morgana (a job it does very, very well), but it's far from being one of the best decks overall.
Further Reading: Sorry's Morgana Mordekaiser Demacia Deck Guide
34 cards
6 cards
27 300
Not Really Working: Malphite Taliyah and Lissandra Volibear
These two decks have remained quite popular for weeks. And Liss Volibear can confidently beat Eddie Morgalio. But they've failed thus far to break the 50% winrate mark – therefore, not decks we can recommend for the LoR ladder.
Punching Up – Standard LoR Decks Doing Great
Standard LoR decks with between 800 and 1200 games played in the last three days – we're sailing into small data samples here, so pilots beware!
Jinx Kennen
Well, what do you know: at last pilots have remembered about poor ol' Jinx!
With an excellent 57% win rate, Jinx
Kennen
puts burn and rockets to good use and has shot up in play rate. Yeah, dies to GEM, but works wonderfully well otherwise!
21 cards
19 cards
24 100
Elder Dragon Norra
The portalling Yordle maintains her last week's comeback, despite Elder Dragon Norra
being one of the worst decks to face GEM with.
Its performance is nothing amazing (just about an okay 52%), but it's excellent against the current meta's best aggressive decks: Gwen Zed, Annie Jhin, and Teemo Yuumi.
Further reading: Yang's Elder Norra Deck Guide
15 cards
25 cards
28 400
Heimerdinger Jayce
Looks like Heimerdinger
Jayce
's spectacular return last week (when it went from "unheard of" to "among the most popular") was largely a fluke, but Professor and Student do have a playable deck and have maintained an acceptable 52% win rate and a nice showing, even if their play rate has plummeted to about 1000 games played in the last three days (less than a third of what they had just one week ago).
Not a meta-breaker by any means, but a very playable deck with a couple of fairly unique Champions.
15 cards
25 cards
26 900
Miss Fortune Nilah
Now, this one does not look like a fluke: Miss Fortune
Nilah
has kept its play rate steady while improving its win rate from an already great 56% to well over 57%.
It dies to GEM, and has some trouble with Teemo Yuumi and Gwen Zed, but overall it looks like Pirates are back, and very strong!
15 cards
25 cards
28 600
Karma Sett P&Z
The Freljord is not working too well, but the Piltover & Zaun version of Karma
Sett
has pushed into playable range – the most popular version (with about 900 games played) performs at about 52%, and some fringe versions do even better.
25 cards
15 cards
31 300
Your Mileage May Vary
If none of the more meta decks 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!
Frozen Caitlyn Teemo
The trap pair is one of those archetypes that always see play, even when they should… but, okay, the numbers say that you can play them now, so go wild!
Don't expect amazing results, and you'll wonder about your life (or at least about your deck) choices if your run into GEM or Teemo Yuumi, but you get to rain puffcaps on Viego's parade while you enjoy a positive winrate overall.
27 cards
13 cards
27 600
Seraphine Sett
Seraphine
Sett may be onto something: the most popular version punches at 57% (albeit across a smallish 500-game sample), and other similar versions are doing very well.
It seems fairly bad against GEM, but overall it looks like it has the upper hand among most decks out there. We'll see how this one pans out, but if you like off-meta brews with potential, this is one the keep an eye out for.
24 cards
16 cards
32 800
Darius Gnar
With Noxian steadfastness, Darius
Gnar
keeps punching quite hard: close to 56%.
Being awful against GEM is not a good place to be in the current LoR meta, but the Overwhelm boys still perform very well overall.
21 cards
19 cards
23 600
Master Yi Riven
Perhaps the biggest surprise this week: Master Yi
Riven
remained a thing, after surfacing last week!
And although sharply dropping in play rate, it has managed to pull an impressive 55% win rate – there may be something here!
16 cards
24 cards
27 100
Gwen Swain
Perhaps an odd pair, but the Grand General is no stranger to strange allies. And Gwen Swain
has thus far shown to be a fairly productive partnership!
14 cards
26 cards
28 000
Wrapping Up
The LoR meta remains puzzlingly stable, with pilots remiss to flock towards the clearly best decks – in a way, a wonderful balance between fun and power. We'll see if that lasts until the end of this patch cycle.
Hope you've found your weapon of choice among 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.
