This articles is from a previous patch -- check here for the most recent Best New Decks article!!
As of early Thursday (EST), this is how the top of the ladder looks like, according to Balco:
The landscape is thus far what you'd expect for an Expansion that brought new Champs and no nerfs: plenty of new faces at the top, mingling with the still-powerful pre-patch powerhouses, and WR through the roof as generous LP donors inflate everybody else's performance.
For this overview, we'll broadly separate decklist in three categories:
- Brand-new decks featuring the recently-arrived Champions,
- Rejuvenated archetypes that, with a little help from new cards, are doing great, and
- Worldwalker Top Dogs that are still a force to be reckoned with.
Our source in this case will be Balco (given that Legna is enjoying some well-deserved vacations) and our own.
In all cases, bear in mind that data samples are on the smallish side, the Meta is up in the air, generous LP donors are inflating WR left and right..
… in other words, it's hard to have more fun than right now!!
Our New Overladies
These are the best decklists featuring at least one of the new scissor-packing, husk-hugging, keyword-loving Champs that have joined us.
Shen Kai'Sa
This is one of the most popular decklists right now, with over a thousand games – not a great performance (barely above 50%), but a positive WR nevertheless.
Gets demolished by several of last patch's Top Dogs – like Jhinnie, Annie TF and Azirelia – but has game against Thralls.
24 cards
16 cards
27 700
Elise Gwen Noxus
By far the strongest new decklist, with nearly 500 games under its belt and punching way above 55%.
Eats Azirelia for breakfast, brunch and supper. Dies horribly to Thralls.
14 cards
26 cards
23 600
Viktor Kai'Sa
The latest mutation of Flaming Chompers?
The archetype overall is only at around 50%, but its most popular variations look very solid: the one below – which is the most popular – performs at exactly 55% in a bit more than 300 games, and there are other variations with similar numbers. Note the cute addition of Xer'sai Hatchling
, by the way.
Most of its good matchups seem to be weak archetypes, so we'll see how this pair fares.
21 cards
19 cards
24 400
Akshan Kai'sa Demacia
While Gwen seems the new champion with the most successful deck, Kai'sa has thus far proven the most flexible – in this case, the recommended list performs a bit above 52% in more than 200 games, with other less-played lists doing even better.
Sadly, most of the Old Dogs are an uphill struggle, so the future (judging by these very early numbers) doesn't look too good.
16 cards
24 cards
30 300
Sivir Kai'sa Demacia
Same region pairing as Akshan Kaisa, and a fairly similar concept, but with a much lower curve and higher unit count, also bringing Domination
into the mix. Low sample size, quite the promising results.
In particular, the matchups spread seems very solid.
21 cards
19 cards
33 600
Evelynn Shurima
The only successful Evelynn
build right now (with a high enough play rate)
15 cards
25 cards
23 100
Illaoi Gwen
Very small data sample; very high performance; not much else to say for now.
22 cards
18 cards
30 600
Rejuvenated Archetypes
This is a bit of a loose category with existing Archetypes that weren't anywhere near the top of the food chain during the last few weeks of the Worldwalker season, but that either new cards and/or a more favorable field have propelled to the forefront.
Yasuo Katarina
To the surprise of everybody except die-hard fans… yeah, this champion pair seems to (finally?) work.
It's puzzling to see that just the addition of a five-mana landmark – namely Windswept Hillock
– was what this archetype needed, given that it's the only new card in the most popular list, but that's what the numbers seem to imply.
To temper expectations, though: dies a bloody, messy death if confronted with some of the Old Dogs, such as Azirelia, Annie TF or Jhinnie.
23 cards
17 cards
28 900
Lulu Bandlezaun
… or perhaps is this the latest Chomper Menace mutation?
As Shadawx suggested yesterday, Sneezy Biggledust!
and Created, Elusive followers do pack a punch, although the most successful decklist goes for a lonesome Lulu approach and even more discard fodder (the Fizz Lulu version seems to be doing okay, but nothing spectacular).
The below list has more than 200 games, and terrifically high WR.
21 cards
19 cards
17 200
The Old Guard
We talked about these decks last patch, since they were among the strongest or most popular.
They still are!
As it should come as no surprise for a Patch that on the one hand brought new Champions and cards (therefore filling the Ladder with a host of unrefined new brews), and on the other included no nerfs to existing powerhouses, said existing powerhouse are having a field day.
Brutally bloody field day with LPs on top, specifically.
Azirelia
Oh boy, does Azirelia love to have fun when other folks are having fun.
And it has found a shiny new toy in Domination, which apparently suffices for this archetype to wreck pretty much everything in its path.
Sivir Kai'sa and Elise Gewn are the only new brews able to resist the onslaught of Blades and Sand Soldiers, with Jhinnie and Annie TF being the Old Dogs capable of doing the same.
16 cards
24 cards
28 100
Annie Jhin
Speaking of the bullet buff and his blazing brat sidekick, they are also having a bloody field day among unrefined new decks.
And they kill Azirelia most dead, in case you were wondering how to bully the bully.
28 cards
12 cards
22 000
Twisted Fate Annie
This is a somewhat familiar picture: with Thralls having a not so good time – compared to how they dominated the ladder by Worldwalker's end – Annie TF has found another opportunity to shine.
Not only is the below decklist the one with the highest WR from all decklists with more than 300 games, the archetype's matchup spread is fantastic. Except Thralls among the old decks, and Sivir Kai'sa among the new, Annie TF appears even or favored into everything.
14 cards
26 cards
28 100
Bandle Renekton Akshan
Renekshan's popularity has taken a nosedive, but seems to be more about it not being a shiny new toy than any performance-related reason: the archetype as a whole is doing great, the below-recommended list punches way above 55%, and the matchup table looks quite encouraging – only Azirelia and Jhinnie are a problem.
13 cards
27 cards
28 000
Illaoi Bard
Last week's hot new trend – which nevertheless proved disappointing in the Seasonal's Top Cut – is doing a number to decks both new and old.
Too little data to say with any certainty, but current numbers look very promising.
31 cards
9 cards
22 600
Heimerdinger Jayce
Professor and Student are doing the usual: adapting themselves to any Meta, through so many slightly different decklists that it's hard to recommend one in particular – we'll do the usual ourselves, too, when dealing with these two, and recommend the most popular version.
31 cards
9 cards
26 900
In Closing
By this early data, it would seem that the Old Dogs have the upper hand on the recently-arrived Champions…
… yet comparing unrefined new brews to refined, not-nerfed powerhouses is very much an apples to oranges comparison.
We'll see tomorrow in Weekend Warrior Weapons how things look like, with an extra day of data!
Any questions or comments, or more data you may need, feel free to:
Poke me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HerkoKerghans,
Ping me on Discord: https://discord.gg/VNN5NmGhXY,
Or find more writings on substack: https://riwan.substack.com/
And good luck in your climb!
