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 – 'Twas the Friday before Worlds
As of early Friday, these are the best Legends of Runeterra decks and archetypes, according to Balco and Mastering Runeterra Meta Tier List:
After the bewildering explosion of decks we've had for the past week, the LoR meta is starting to settle down – as we'll see in today's article, several decks that were punching quite hard a few days ago are either cooling off or have lost their edge, while those archetypes that are indeed the strongest keep clawing towards the top.
And the meta is about to get hit by quite an outlier this time: the LoR's Regional Worlds Qualifiers take place this weekend, so we'll soon find out what the best Legends of Runeterra players have been brewing, and are right now ready to unleash.
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 sees a decrease in play rate (showing around 4,200 games played in the last three days, down from 6,000+ last Tuesday), yet firmly remains the best performing among popular decks, punching above the 56% WR mark – and, again like last Tuesday, there are other versions hitting at 55% across 1,500 games each.
By the numbers, undisputedly the best LoR deck right now when factoring both play and win rate. Quite a bit of its success is related to how ruthlessly it kills weaker archetypes (Teemo Zoe has odds above 80% against Deep or Scargrounds, and above 90% against Sun Disc), but these Elusive champs do have strong counters: Annie TF, Draven Jinx, and Annie Jhin are all greatly favored against Teemo Zoe, and the ascending Tryndamere Trundle also has an edge on them.
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
Annie Twisted Fate, ft. Kat
Losing a bit of steam today, punching at 53% (down from 55% last Tuesday) but increasing its play rate a bit (now over 3,000 games played in the last three days) the best Annie TF deck shines among Teemo Zoe's showstoppers; it also has an edge on Annie Jhin and Heimer Jayce, and is part of the reason why Draven Jinx is having a rough time.
Tryndamere Trundle, on the other hand… ouch.
Further Reading: Dr Chekhov's Annie TF Deck Guide.
21 cards
19 cards
28 200
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.
Ekko Jinx Shurima
The best Ekko Jinx deck sticks to Zaunite Urchin
and cutting Careful Preparation
to make room for Rummage
and more Mystic Shot
s – the flat Follower curve and a couple of Get Excited!
copies seem to be a mainstain among the strongest Ekko Jinx versions now, reverting the trend during the early days (in which the best versions all packed Voice of the Risen
, but little burn).
Jinx Ekko shows a fairly fair matchup spread, with most fights being in the 45/55 range – outstanding outliers are Annie Jhin (very favored for Jinx Ekko), and the ascending Kayne Vayne (fairly poor odds for rocketeer and time trickster).
16 cards
24 cards
23 600
⭐Rising Star: Tryndamere Trundle, aka Feel The Rush
Sticking to the same build as last Tuesday, the best Tryndamere Trundle deck raises as one of this meta's major factors, now hitting at 55% across 1,400 games, and for good reason: FtR has an edge on Teemo Zoe and Ekko Jinx, wipes Annie TF out, and murders Viktor Seraphine Shadows and Draven Jinx.
Sturdy midrange brews, though, like Kat Gwen, and especially Quinn Vayne, turn the tables and are lousy matchups for Trundle Tryndamere.
30 cards
10 cards
27 700
🔥🔥Blazing Hot! – Kayn Vayne
Kayn Vayne never managed to get a hold in meta during the first half of Domination – it was getting a bit of traction during the last week before the patch, but well below other Vayne-based then-powerhouses like Zed Vayne or Rumble Vayne.
Yet here we have it today, springing from out of nowhere to become perhaps the best Vayne deck right now, jumping ahead of the other two survivors that we'll see in a bit (namely Quinn Vayne and Rumble Vayne) – Kayn Vayne, which was not a thing three days ago, now kicks above 55% in a 1,300-game sample, with a very similar version (just switching two copies Concerted Strike
for [[The Unforgiving Cold) pulling similar numbers.
While a bit of an underdog to today's two Juggernauts (Teemo Zoe and Annie TF), Kayn Vayne appears either even or favored into most other popular decks, including great odds into all Jinx blends (Draven, Ekko, and Lonesome) and Taliyah Ziggs.
17 cards
23 cards
27 300
Taliyah Ziggs
Taliyah Ziggs' play rate dropped sharply (its best deck showing around 1,000 games now, down from nearly 3,000 last Tuesday), yet maintains a rock-solid 53% WR.
Odds against Teemo Zoe remain unsurmountable, and Kayn Vayne's zero-to-hero journey is awful news for the landmark duo – yet Taliyah Ziggs makes up for it by being a strong counter to the other Juggernaut (Annie TF), the other ascending trend (Tryndamere Trundle), and also great odds against Viktor Seraphine and Quinn Vayne.
Further Reading: Leer's Taliyah Ziggs Deck Guide.
15 cards
25 cards
26 600
Quinn Vayne, ft. Fiora
"Nothing new to see here" is increasingly a good description for this stalwart deck: Quinn Vayne still sticks to its crossbows, and with always the exact same list keeps punching at 55%.
Quinn Vayne chews Shadow Isles Control for breakfast (Tryndamere Trundle, Heimer Jayce and Viktor Seraphine are all easy pickings) and stuns Jhinnie out of the show – on the other hand, Teemo Zoe and Taliyah Ziggs are a bit of a struggle, and the ascending Kayn Vayne is not ideal.
Further reading: Scissorsbox's On Harps and Harpies – A Vayne Quinn LoR Deck Guide
32 cards
8 cards
32 900
Annie Jhin
Annie Jhinn sits at a comfortable 53% WR, enjoying its role of major pain for Teemo Zoe, and now also appearing as a solid counter to Kayn Vayne. There's a bit of a red flag, though, when looking at other popular decks: against the majority of other Top Dogs, Jhinnie is from slightly to clearly the underdog.
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
Frozen Lonesome Jinx
Sensei TealRed's brainchild has kept a solid 53% WR in around 900 games in the last three days – it consistently beats its Draven Jinx sibling, murders Teemo Zoe, and is very good against Annie Jhin, but may have problems with two of today's success stories: Tryndamere Trundle, and Kayn Vayne.
6 cards
34 cards
17 800
⭐Rising Star: Akshan Varus
A bit like Kayn Vayne above, Akshan Varus is a deck that never quite managed to get a foothold in the pre-patch meta, yet seems to have got its act together now in spite of Akshan's nerfs, and we find it pushing a solid 52% WR in around 900 games.
Seems solid against today's success stories (Tryndamere Trundle and Kayn Vayne), although a bit of the underdog if confronting the reigning Juggernauts (Teemo Zoe and Annie TF).
17 cards
23 cards
27 800
Other Considerations: Viktor Seraphine, Elise Norra, Heimerdinger Jayce
- Viktor Seraphine keeps cooling off, now showing an okay 51% WR,
- After a stellar post-patch start, Elise Norra dropped to below-50%, but now sees a rebound to 51% – it's hard to puzzle why (Elise Norra stands out as a bit of a polarizing deck, with few matchups in the 45/55 range, and a lot that are either very good, or very bad), but good odds against both Tryndamere Trundle and Annie TF may help explain it,
- Heimerdinger Jayce's performance has also dipped to around 51%, although with how flexible this archetype is, it wouldn't be a surprise to see it rebounding soon,
- The current field has turned quite aggressive for Leona Diana, and Celesbians has dropped below 49% – not a blend we can recommend today.
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.
Katarina Gwen. ft Elise
After oscillating a bit between Opulent Foyer
builds without Elise
, and Elise builds without Foyer, looks like this tough trio has reached a compromise with the landmark: a single copy of Opulent Foyer along with the three ladies – also ditching Ionian Hookmaster
to make room for House Spider
, and Vengeance
is gone while an extra Quietus
is in.
Smashing results: 57% WR across nearly 900 games, with a very nice matchup spread where no popular confrontation is too unfavored (Teemo Zoe and Kayn Vayne are a bit of an uphill struggle, but not too bad), and a nice amount of good targets such as all other Shadow Isles control decks, Jhinnie, and Quinn Vayne.
Further reading: Scissorsbox's Hallowed Attacks and Harrowing Combos – A Katarina Gwen Deck Guide.
17 cards
23 cards
29 500
Rumble Vayne
Now overshadowed by both Quinn Vayne and Kayne Vayne, what once was arguably the best Vayne deck holds to a solid 53% WR, but play rate is dropping.
Further reading: Card Gamer's Tumble on the Rumble – A Vayne Rumble LoR Deck Guide.
11 cards
29 cards
26 500
Privateers, aka Miss Fortune Swain
Don't sleep on Privateers, folks! The best Miss Fortune Swain deck has kept its discreet 500-game playrate while improving its WR to a smashing 56% – suffers against Tryndamere Trundle and Annie TF, but smacks Teemo Zoe harshly
Further reading: PakiInPyjamas' By Her Guns Shall Noxus Rise – A Miss Fortune Swain LoR Deck Guide
20 cards
20 cards
29 200
Other Considerations: Pantheon Varus, Draven Jinx, Veigar Norra
- Pantheon Varus remains a solid 51%+ choice,
- The most fun deck in the whole history of Legends of Runeterra, Draven Jinx, also drops to around 51%, after shining in the early days this patch,
- Veigar Norra is yet another early riser that, as the field refines and settles, drops to around 51%,
- Annie Gwen, which had an okay start, now dips below the 48% WR mark and can no longer be recommended.
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! =)
⭐Rising Star – Jinx Lulu
Plenty of pilots tried this former meta staple as soon as the patch landed, but without much luck despite Jinx's buffs – yet it now looks like they may have refined its formula enough to shine: Jinx Lulu is currently the most punchy deck to be found in the fringes, with a silly, near-60% WR in more than 300 games.
If you're looking for the next meta breaker, this may be it, giving both its current numbers and lustrous pedigree!
22 cards
18 cards
24 200
Curious Viktor Seraphine
With Viktor Seraphine Shadow Isles a bit in the cooler, and Aphelios Seraphine not having a good day today, Bandle City slowly looks like Seraphine's hottest show right now: punches above 54% in close to 300 games, and has been having a great time since the patch landed.
23 cards
17 cards
32 300
Masters of Traps
Caitlyn Teemo never was too frightening of a deck, despite their clear synergy and cool voice lines – it's gaining a bit of traction now, with an okay 51% WR.
20 cards
20 cards
28 600
An Ancient Horror, Newly Equipped
A Champion pair guaranteed to send some folks running for the hills, screaming in horror as bloody nightmares of metas past take hold of their sanity – and by Kai'Sa Sivir's 57% WR, such terror may not be entirely misplaced!
18 cards
22 cards
32 000
