Note: This is an old article - for the most up-to-date data, check the latest LoR Best Decks article!!
Best Legends of Runeterra Decks – A Patch Above the Rest
As of early Tuesday, these are the best Legends of Runeterra decks and archetypes, according to Balco and Mastering Runeterra Meta Tier List:
As seen last Sunday, our current meta thus far looks great: Seraphine and Vayne have been toned down just right (they both retain one strong deck), old staples have been revived by their buffs, and while some decks stand out as the strongest, they all have (as we'll detail below) quite a few solid counters.
Let's check today's numbers! =)
Technical note – About overall archetypes and specific decklists, and what we mean by "LoR best decks"
Balco's chart above (like most data sites, including MaRu's Meta Tier List) and articles like Leer's Monday Meta Report sort Legends of Runeterra meta decks by archetype ("archetype" being the aggregate of decks 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 Legends of Runeterra decks by the best specific decklist for each archetype – 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 amount of games played in the last three days 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.
- 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, on top of the meta being up in the air, but as far as numbers go, these decks can put up one hell of a fight.
- YMMV: decks with less than 400 games in the last three days – risky stuff, but here's where you usually find the spice!
For this article, in all cases we'll look at decks in Platinum and above, and in the last three days, unless stated otherwise – and when talking about 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). As a rule of thumb, decks with a winrate (WR) above 52% catch our eye, above 53% are eye-widening, and anything with a WR over 55% is exceptional.
On the other hand, do notice that when talking about matchup tables, it's always about archetypes – in other words, we'll recommend which are the best Legend of Runeterra decks (ie. specific decklist) you can choose to face the most popular archetypes (since you'll find all versions in the LoR ladder).
Last but not least: all stats and recommendations above are for choosing the best LoR deck for the Legends of Runeterra Ladder environment – the Best-of-Three format (found in Tournaments and Gauntlets) is a very different kettle of fish!
Sources: Balco, Legna, Mastering Runeterra Meta Tier List.
If you have any feedback on how these decks could be showcased differently, do let me know! =)
Juggernauts – Best Legends of Runeterra Meta Decks
Here we showcase LoR decks with more than 2100 games and good-to-great WR – by current numbers, these are the best meta decks in Legends of Runeterra.
Bandle Teemo Zoe
The best Teemo Zoe deck went from 4,100 to 6,100 games since last Sunday, crushing the opposition under a 56%+ WR (and with two other versions sitting at around 1,500 games and 55%+ WR).
By the numbers, it's by far the best-performing deck in Legends of Runeterra – but, unlike previous meta tyrants (like Kai'Sa a couple of seasons ago, or Pirates in their recent heyday), Teemo Zoe has quite a long list of strong counters: Draven Jinx, Annie Jhin, Annie Twisted Fate, Heimer Jayce, Viktor Seraphine SI and the returning Tryndamere Trundle all have odds around 60% or better when facing the pesky, Elusive champs.
Teemo Zoe is definitely the choice if you are looking for the strongest deck to climb, but if you'd rather ruin their day, there's no lack of options!
Further Reading: Monte and Leer share their thoughts and tips about how to pilot Teemo Zoe in their latest Worlds Meta Voyage.
25 cards
15 cards
26 100
🔥🔥Blazing Hot: Annie Twisted Fate, ft. Kat
One of the many old, buffed staples making a blazing return, Annie Twisted Fate went from zero last Friday, to hot trend last Sunday, to leap-frogging right among our Juggernauts today, with around 2,800 games under their belt and punching above 55%.
As noted above, Annie TF murders Teemo Zoe, also preying upon Draven Jinx and Heimer Jayce, and with good odds versus Ekko Jinx, Quinn Vayne and Annie Jhin – Taliyah Ziggs, on the other hand, is a bit of a struggle, and both Elise Norra and Feel the Rush are horrible matchups.
Further Reading: Dr Chekhov's Annie TF Deck Guide.
21 cards
19 cards
28 200
⭐Rising Star: Taliyah Ziggs
Another old, recently buffed staple making a stellar return to Runeterra, Taliyah Ziggs follows Annie TF's footsteps in going from zero to nearly 3,000 games since last Friday, all the while hitting at a rock-solid 53% WR.
By the way: it's also the only strong Taliyah option right now – Taliyah Bilgewater just ain't it, folks.
Taliyah Ziggs has a truly awful matchup into Teemo Zoe and Leona Diana, and poor odds versus Jhinnie – but save for those three, this Landmark duo has an edge against pretty much every other popular LoR deck right now.
Further Reading: Leer's Taliyah Ziggs Deck Guide.
15 cards
25 cards
26 600
Possible Consideration: Elise Norra
Elise Norra is still playable, hovering at around 50%, but its performance has crashed down from a stellar 55% last Saturday. It does have very good odds against several strong decks (Annie Jhin, Draven Jinx, and Annie TF in particular), but the rest of the field, and especially Teemo Zoe, are giving it hell.
Heavyweights – Strong LoR Meta Decks
These LoR decks have between 900 and 2100 games played in the last three days – solid picks for climbing the Runeterra ladder.
Annie Gwen, ft. Kat
Annie Gwen has kept stable at the 52% WR mark, while its play rate gained a bit of traction (now 1,800 games, up from 1,300). A fairly solved archetype (the huge majority of pilots, in all three shards, play this exact same list), it is also the best Gwen deck in Runeterra right now. Has an edge against Teemo Zoe, and is very favored into Heimer Jayce and Veigar Norra – but shows very poor odds versus Leona Diana and Tryndamere Trundle.
Further Reading: Nihilist's Ravenous Regrets — an Annie Gwen Runeterra Deck Guide.
18 cards
22 cards
30 200
🧊Cooling Off – Annie Jhin
Still a powerhouse, Annie Jhin has lost a bit of steam both in popularity and performance, now sitting at 53% in around 1,400 games – while it murders Teemo Zoe and stops Taliyah Ziggs' landmark show, the majority of the other popular, strong decks (Jinx blends, Annie TF, Heimer Jayce, Quinn Vayne, Veigar Norra, Viktor Seraphine SI) are really rought matchups.
Further reading: for the other side of this matchup, check Yangzera's Annie goes to Stack School – A Jhin Annie Aggro Guide.
28 cards
12 cards
22 000
Quinn Vayne, ft. Fiora
Weathering both nerfs and meta shifts, Quinn Vayne strikes at nearly 55% in about 1,400 games (and with tweaks never being a consideration: the best Quinn Vayne deck is card-by-card the exact same as before the patch and the nerfs).
With a bit of a trouble against today's ascending Juggernauts (Annie TF and Taliyah Ziggs), Quinn Vayne can hold its own against the third (Teemo Zoe), stops Jhinnie's show, and is great against Tryndamere Trundle.
Further reading: Scissorsbox's On Harps and Harpies – A Vayne Quinn LoR Deck Guide
32 cards
8 cards
32 900
🧬Mutating – Draven Jinx
What was positioned as the best Draven Jinx deck last Sunday (this one, with Reborn Grenadier
and Fallen Rider
) has dropped to a 50% WR – while, on the other hand, the very old-school deck showcased below has surged as the best Discard Aggro version, and smacks at 55% over more than 1,200 games.
22 cards
18 cards
27 100
Great odds against Teemo Zoe and Jhinnie, but the rest of the Top Dogs look a bit on the rough side: Jinx Ekko, Annie TF, Heimer Jayce and Tryndamere Trundle are all strong Discard counters.
Leona Diana, aka Celesbians
Low-key smashing the field (WR above 56%, as they've been doing since before the patch), for some reason Leona Diana fails to gain further adoption (it's now hovering at around 1,000 games, as it has been in the past few days). Poor odds against Teemo Zoe and Annie TF may be the reason, although except those two, and a bit of a struggle against Heimer Jayce, the twilight lovers are very well positioned against the current meta.
8 cards
32 cards
26 700
⭐Rising Star: A Song of Ice and Rockets
Brewing Sensei TealRed and a deck going zero-to-hero from out of nowhere – name a more iconic duo!
Cold-bloodily murders Teemo Zoe, and seems either even or favored against most Top Dogs save Annie TF – not too popular outside APAC, by the way, so in the AM or EMEA ladder you're pretty much guaranteed to take foes by surprise with this blend.
6 cards
34 cards
17 800
Punching Up – Runeterra Decks Doing Great
Runeterra decks with between 400 and 900 games in the last three days – while some may be just a fluke, more often than not should end up being on the strong side of things.
🧬Mutating – Ekko Jinx Shurima
The best Ekko Jinx deck has flattened its follower curve (just one-drops and a single two-drop) while adding burn and discard Mystic Shot
s via Get Excited!
, to punch at 55% in more than 800 games. As an alternative, this follower-heavier version, and also with some copies of Get Excited! and Mystic Shots, reaches 56% in around 400 games.
Definitely a yet-unsolved archetype!
Very favored into Draven Jinx and Jhinnie, while slightly the underdog to all three current Juggernauts: Teemo Zoe, Annie TF and Taliyah Ziggs.
16 cards
24 cards
23 600
🔼Trending Upwards – Rumble Vayne
Reversing its downward trend, Rumble Vayne sees a sizable spike in performance, now striking at an amazing 56%+ WR – probably helped by its great odds against Taliyah Ziggs.
Further reading: Card Gamer's Tumble on the Rumble – A Vayne Rumble LoR Deck Guide.
11 cards
29 cards
26 500
Pantheon Varus
A bit like Leona Diana, Pantheon Varus is another deck low-key enjoying great success (a steady, splendid 55% WR since the patch landed) while remaining fairly ignored by pilots (the best Pantheon Varus decks has drop from nearly 800 to around 600 games played since last Sunday).
Awful odds against Teemo Zoe, but great against the other two Juggernauts: Annie TF and Taliyah Ziggs.
Further reading: Leer's They Can Stall Their Fate, but Cannot Deny It — A Varus Pantheon LoR Deck Guide.
16 cards
24 cards
26 700
🧊Cooling Off – Viktor Seraphine Shadows
Meta shifts have been rough for what remains the best Seraphine deck post-patch. Its most popular version, showcased below, drops to around 52% across 600 games (down from nearly 55% in 700 last Sunday) – the second most popular Viktor Seraphine deck, though, is picking up the slack with a 55% WR in 400 games.
The matchup spread against Top Dogs is excellent: save for Taliyah Ziggs and Leona Diana, Vik Sera SI has the upper hand in most cases, including great odds against Teemo Zoe, Draven Jinx, Jhinnie and Heimer Jayce, while going toe-to-toe with Annie TF.
Further Reading: Yangzera's Quiet High Note – A Spooky Seraphine Viktor LoR Deck Guide
26 cards
14 cards
28 400
⭐Rising Star: Tryndamere Trundle, aka Feel The Rush
Not having made the cut last Sunday (too small a sample size), Tryndamere Trundle surely does so today, packing a huge 57% punch in around 600 games.
There are no lack of victims for Feel The Rush
's control tools, and lack of 
Ionia in the meta makes expensive, top-end spells a safer bet – Tryndamere Trundle wreck Teemo Zoe, Draven Jinx, Annie TF, with also good odds against other Shadow Isles decks such as Heimer Jayce of Viktor Seraphine. On the other hand Taliyah Ziggs and Quinn Vayne, and to a lesser degree Jhinnie, are strong counters.
30 cards
10 cards
27 700
🧬Mutating – Heimer Jayce Shadows
Not really a surprise to see Professor and Student shifting their build – Heimer Jayce is probably one of the most flexible shells in Runeterra. The tweaks to their best build are quite a lot this time, though: the best Heimer Jayce deck has replaced The Darkin Harp
for the more classic The Forge Of Tomorrow
, has shrunk its followers, and has changed their its composition quite a bit, now including The Ruination
and Glimpse Beyond
among other refinements.
Heimer and Jayce are weak to other Shadow Isles control archetypes (Viktor Seraphine, Feel the Rush), also weak to Taliyah Ziggs and Annie TF, but very strong into Teemo Zoe, Jinx decks, and Jhinnie.
12 cards
28 cards
28 400
Privateers, aka Miss Fortune Swain
Privateers remain a very solid option, even if its play rate keeps eroding (lack of shiny new toy shine, perhaps?) – 54% WR across 500 games with the best Miss Fortune Swain deck, showing particularly good odds against Annie TF and Taliyah Ziggs (today's new Juggernauts) while roughly even versus Teemo Zoe.
Further reading: PakiInPyjamas' By Her Guns Shall Noxus Rise – A Miss Fortune Swain LoR Deck Guide
20 cards
20 cards
29 200
Veigar Norra
Veigar Norra looks like the best Norra deck right now, after all other versions (Elise, Heimer, and Kindred) nose-dived in performance – the Dark Portal has kept steady both in play rate and WR (55%+ in about 500 games, same as last Sunday).
Taliyah Ziggs' return is fairly bad news in this case, though, as that matchup presents disastrous odds.
15 cards
25 cards
26 600
Other playable options
A number of decks that started off strong have now deflated to around 50% – definitely not among the best Runeterra decks, but still playable.
Your Mileage May Vary – Fringe LoR Decks
Runeterra decks with less than 400 games played in the last few days – promising, but with samples being smalls, flukes and duds are sure to abound. On the other hand, if you're looking for the next best thing, it tends to show up here first! =)
Aphelios Seraphine, ft. Zoe
Seraphelios keeps suggesting that, fringe deck as it may be, it's no fluke, consistently striking at about 53%.
25 cards
15 cards
30 900
Katarina Gwen
The spartan, old-school Kat Gwen version (with Elise into the mix, and without Opulent Foyer
) appears to be the way to go – and smashing at an amazing 57% WR, now that it's likely only piloted by die-hard experts.
18 cards
22 cards
28 200
⭐Rising Star – Precious Elise Nocturne
A Fearsome mix of Mistwraith
s, Spiders and Hallowed staples, Precious Elise Nocturne made a tiny splash a couple of weeks ago – its currently the highest-WR brew from among all decks we've showcased today, although with only around 250 games.
3 cards
37 cards
26 400
Leona Galio
Leona Galio keeps showing it has legs, maintaining its play rate (250 games in the last three days, just like last Sunday) but improving its WR by one point, now punching at 54%.
15 cards
25 cards
27 300
Curious Viktor Seraphine
Seraphine's Bandle City show has remained a very fringe option (similar playrate as when we showcased it among the best Seraphine decks last Saturday), yet with a terrifically high WR. It's also quite different to other Seraphine brews, with a much heavier top-end in followers, and bringing Curious Shellfolk
into the mix.
23 cards
17 cards
32 300
Wrapping Up
This first post-patch week has kept the wonderful trend glimpsed last Sunday: there are tons of viable decks, Seraphine and Vayne have been toned down just right, and while there are a handful of archetypes that are a cut above there rest when looking strictly at their WR, digging into their matchups reveals that even the strongest Top Dogs have several counters.
All in all, as we get closer to the first stage of Legends of Runeterra Worlds, this looks like one of the most interesting, wide-open metas we've had in a long time.
Hope you have enjoyed today's selection, and good luck out there! =)
Any questions or comments, or more data you may need, feel free to:
Poke me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HerkoKerghans,
Stop for a chat on the LoR Poetry Discord (we talk a fair bit about decks and data, too! =): https://discord.gg/VNN5NmGhXY,
Or find more writings on substack: https://riwan.substack.com/
