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Detailed Deck Guide: Aphelios Lux

Leer breaks down this novel Aphelios deck, sharing tips and insights from his exchange with "Between Worlds" Seasonal Champion Painas

Do you miss Aphelios ever since he got nerfed?

I know I do… and, with Aphelios Lux, we might have found the first viable, non-Copium Aphelios deck since his balance change.

As fate wants it, I got “Between Worlds” Seasonal Champion Painas with me today! He’ll be commenting on some key points, adding depth to the guide with his expertise in the game and experience with the deck.

Regions
Demacia
16 cards
Mount Targon
24 cards
Rarities
25 000
champion
6
epic
0
rare
18
common
16
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
6
1
14
2
11
3
0
4
9
5
0
6
0
7+
Champions
6
1
Zoe
1
Zoe
3
Aphelios
2
Aphelios
5
Lux
3
Lux
Followers
14
1
Lunari Duskbringer
3
Lunari Duskbringer
1
Spacey Sketcher
2
Spacey Sketcher
2
Petricite Broadwing
3
Petricite Broadwing
3
Solari Priestess
3
Solari Priestess
3
Vanguard Sergeant
3
Vanguard Sergeant
Spells
20
2
Guiding Touch
3
Guiding Touch
2
Hush
2
Hush
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
2
Sharpsight
3
Sharpsight
3
Shield of Durand
3
Shield of Durand
5
Concerted Strike
1
Concerted Strike
5
Starshaping
3
Starshaping
5
Sunburst
2
Sunburst

Deck Breakdown

Aphel Lux is a board-centric deck that wants to survive long enough to Invoke powerful Celestials who close out the game.

Aphelios

What is ApheliosAphelios' role?

Let's start by stating that Aphel's main purpose is not to stay forever on the board and to level up. Sometimes it happens, but that's a "win more" kind of thing!

That's also the reason we only play him as a two-of:

Aphelios' Gifts From BeyondAphelios is too slow, and the second Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing we tutor is a lot worse than the first one since we only have enough cards in hand to buff one of them.

Aphelios' main purpose is to create a threat your opponent has to remove, while simultaneously generating a Moon Weapon in hand. If you play Aphel and your opponent spends a Thermogenic Beam or Cataclysm to remove him, you trade two cards for one since you have the created Moon Weapon in hand.

We will more often than not pick CrescendumCrescendum on play, since tutoring Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing is very strong. We also run protection spells like Shield of DurandShield of Durand to save our champs, as well as to capitalize on the Formidable keyword.

Also, note that if you play both Aphel and his created Moon Weapon on the same turn, you can play another card before the enemy removal spell resolves, to generate his Phased Moon Weapon in hand. This happens fairly often in my games.

Now, it's true that Aphel's three-cost weapons synergize with LuxLux. This makes him a relevant threat even if we draw him on turn 6+ where some of his Moon Weapons usually fall off – But especially in the mid to late game, his created Moon Weapon is all that matters. GravitumGravitum can stun a chunky boi against Pantheon Yuumi, or SeverumSeverum played on a Celestial ally can heal you 8+ life to survive your foe's rally turn.

“Against aggro, sometimes, you need to pick SeverumSeverum over CrescendumCrescendum to recover some Nexus HP,”  Painas says. “And though InfernumInfernum is the worst Moon Weapon, in some spots it can enable your big Elusive Celestials to push lethal damage without getting chump-blocked.”


I can't stress this enough: Aphel is not there to survive for long.


If you have a protection spell in hand as well as LuxLux, it's better to keep the spell for LuxLux. Oftentimes, Aphel will tutor the Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing, create CalibrumCalibrum in hand, and fall off. The Moon Weapon phased from CalibrumCalibrum isn’t very powerful in a lot of matchups – in the early to mid-game! – and we don't want to waste three mana to phase a new one.

(Compare this to the argument that GravitumGravitum or SeverumSeverum are great reactive cards in hand. We don’t want to play them right away to create a new weapon with Aphelios on the board. Rather, we want to wait and force our opponent to play around our Moon Weapon in hand.)

“It’s also important to plan your next turn in advance,” reminds Painas. “For example, if you have a Moon Weapon in hand, think about how you can play it next turn before playing two other cards. ApheliosAphelios won’t create the new Moon Weapon if you have the old one in hand, so be mindful to not waste the Weapon generation!”

And besides all this rational, logical stuff, he's also there to get people interested in the deck. We all miss Aphel, and who would play a random LuxLux deck without him? =)

Zoe

ZoeZoe is a powerful all-rounder. She can block a Legion SaboteurLegion Saboteur, Invoke an EquinoxEquinox to silence a Wounded WhiteflameWounded Whiteflame, or become a game-winning threat through her level-up effect. 

In my experience, she works best as a value engine thanks to the Supercool StarchartSupercool Starchart she creates, but her level 2 alongside a The Great BeyondThe Great Beyond or The Golden SisterThe Golden Sister can also be game-winning.

Lux

LuxLux is our final champion. Just like the two before, she is an incredible value generator thanks to her Final SparkFinal Sparks. Some of our (created) spells, like SunburstSunburst and Falling CometFalling Comet, level her up in one go. Cheaper spells, like Guiding TouchGuiding Touch and MoonglowMoonglow, make us flexible enough to create a Final SparkFinal Spark with an awkward counter on LuxLux.

Don’t forget that LuxLux also sports a Barrier. Thanks to that, she can prevent your opponent from attacking if you play her on their attack turn, similar to PantheonPantheon in Pantheon Yuumi DE.

Now, let’s talk about what each follower and spell accomplishes:

Petricite Broadwing Shield of Durand

Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing is the reason this deck works.

Every other card in this deck, besides Shield of DurandShield of Durand and Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing, were available before the expansion – yet, Aphel Lux wasn’t a thing previously.

As stated above, Aphel’s main goal is to create CrescendumCrescendum and summon Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing from your deck. 

Broadwing is an incredible asset that can remove almost any opposing two- or three-drop. With our combat spells, it can even remove champions like VeigarVeigar or TrundleTrundle.

“Just remember to not block Quick Attack units like GnarGnar with Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing, since it will lose its health (and thus attack) before striking back,” explains Painas. “You may block them if you have several buff spells in hand that you’re ready to invest though!”

Shield of DurandShield of Durand obviously works perfectly with Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing. It can also come in handy to keep your champions alive, who create more value the longer they remain on the board. 

In essence, Shield of DurandShield of Durand is an upgraded Sunblessed VigorSunblessed Vigor that also synergizes with the novel Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing.

Lunari Duskbringer Spacey Sketcher

Lunari DuskbringerLunari Duskbringer and Spacey SketcherSpacey Sketcher are cheap units that keep us alive in the early game, while generating additional value.

Lunari DuskbringerLunari Duskbringer creates a Duskpetal DustDuskpetal Dust in hand, which helps activate Aphel’s Nightfall effect.

The second use of Duskpetal DustDuskpetal Dust is as discard fodder for Spacey SketcherSpacey Sketcher. Just like ZoeZoe, she can invoke key cards to adapt to the matchup. 

We can pick EquinoxEquinox to silence a Fated unit or tempo-generators like Gleaming LanternGleaming Lantern. We can pick Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike against Demacia decks to counteract Rally effects, or stun a GnarGnar. We can pick The TricksterThe Trickster against swarm decks to push nexus damage, or The MessengerThe Messenger for additional value in any matchup. The SerpentThe Serpent is useful against aggro decks, as well as for removing medium threats like Bandle City MayorBandle City Mayor with our pump spells.

The third and final use of Duskpetal DustDuskpetal Dust, which is easy to forget, is its utility in the late game. It can be the final spell ZoeZoe needs to level at Burst speed, or it can create a Final SparkFinal Spark through LuxLux if she has counted to five – for example through StarshapingStarshaping or Meteor ShowerMeteor Shower. Finally, it can be the second spell that ApheliosAphelios needs to see for him to create his Phased Moon Weapon.

Solari Priestess Vanguard Sergeant

Solari PriestessSolari Priestess and Vanguard SergeantVanguard Sergeant are our last units in the deck.

Vanguard SergeantVanguard Sergeant is a strong follower with great stats. He also creates a For Demacia!For Demacia! in hand, which can give your sparse board a bit more oomph, as well as create a Final SparkFinal Spark with LuxLux.

Solari PriestessSolari Priestess is a powerful value generator (like almost any other unit in our deck!) that can Invoke Celestial cards that are (once again) adaptable to the situation.

Falling Comet The Golden Sister The Traveler

The strongest pick from her choices is usually Falling CometFalling Comet, for matchups where you need to remove a key threat like The Bandle TreeThe Bandle Tree or TrundleTrundle. Do not pick this spell though if your foe lacks those threats, or you already have removal like SunburstSunburst in hand.

If we don’t need to pick Falling CometFalling Comet, or don’t see it in our choices, ask you this:

Do you have an (almost) leveled ZoeZoe on board? -> Pick The Golden SisterThe Golden Sister.

Do you lack a turn four or five play? -> Pick The TravelerThe Traveler or Written in StarsWritten in Stars

“In some situations, Written in StarsWritten in Stars can also come in clutch, giving you fuel to control the board with a buffed LuxLux or ApheliosAphelios,” Painas says.

Do you need to remove a medium-sized threat like VeigarVeigar or GnarGnar without losing too much tempo? -> Pick Meteor ShowerMeteor Shower or The WarriorThe Warrior. Do notice, tought, that these two cards can be tampered with: The WarriorThe Warrior can be stunned, or the target’s health buffed out of range.

While those last two cards tend to be better tempo and value plays, they are not reliable. You have to be very careful and assess the risk you take before picking one of them!

If you don’t need to remove an enemy, nor lack a turn four or five play, pick The Golden SisterThe Golden Sister. They are great units that work well with your pump spells and force your opponent to react to them.

Guiding Touch Pale Cascade Sharpsight

Talking about pump spells, here they are: 

Guiding TouchGuiding Touch is probably the least “pumpy” of them, since it only heals the target. It can keep LuxLux alive or replenish the health and attack of Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing. Worst case, you target your Nexus to cycle it!

Pale CascadePale Cascade is very similar to Guiding TouchGuiding Touch, as it also replaces itself. Sometimes, one health or attack more is all you need. Can you imagine that this spell once gave a +2|+1 buff?

The inclusion of SharpsightSharpsight shouldn’t come to you as a surprise. It’s one of the most efficient pump spells in the game. While there are not many Elusive units in the current meta, the +2|+2 buff is good enough for us to run it.

Hush Concerted Strike Sunburst

HushHush is an incredible silence tool, especially against so many Pantheon decks running rampant. While we seldom need more than one – as we can also Invoke EquinoxEquinox – we have two copies in our deck to increase our chances of drawing one. This is a general rule of thumb for the number of cards you run in a list:

3 copies – We want to draw the card in every game and don’t mind having more than one copy in hand.

2 copies – We want to draw the card in most of our games, but don’t want to end up having two copies stuck in our hand.

1 copy – We want to draw the card in some of our games.

This also explains the reason for our single Concerted StrikeConcerted Strike: It’s a potent removal tool that can kill almost any unit under the right conditions. But its high cost means we don’t want to draw it against faster tempo decks, or if we don’t have two units with high enough attack on board.

Starshaping The Great Beyond Living Legends

StarshapingStarshaping is our late-game finisher. An Invoked Celestial like The Great BeyondThe Great Beyond is difficult to answer for almost any deck, and will close out the game in one or two attacks.

Its five-mana cost makes it awkward for LuxLux, but as we already said, we run enough one- and two-mana spells to flip her anyways.

Note that Living LegendsLiving Legends will level LuxLux, but won’t create a Final SparkFinal Spark in hand. This is due to your hand being filled with Celestials before LuxLux would create a Final SparkFinal Spark, which your hand no longer can hold.

This took me way too long to figure out, and I thought the game was bugged. 😀


General Gameplay Tips

  • Be comfortable with your Invoke choices before the game

There is no good excuse to not think before the game about what you want to find with your Invokes.

Is the opponent playing Darkness? Search for removal spells, maybe even EquinoxEquinox for Twisted CatalyzerTwisted Catalyzer.

Or is your foe a Rally deck, for which you want to have a Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike ready?! 

Thinking about this before the game will simplify your complex decisions later on. It will also help you to decide what cards to keep in the Mulligan phase.

  • Remember ApheliosAphelios' role.

As stated at the beginning, don’t tunnel-vision onto Aphelios. As long as he fulfills his role in tutoring Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing and/or creating another Moon Weapon in hand, it’s okay to let him die.

“Let him die if you have LuxLux to protect against removal-heavy regions [like Piltover and Zaun]” Painas adds. 

I know, this breaks your heart. But it’s the way this archetype works, sorry.


Tech Choices

Feel free to experiment with the ratio of SunburstSunburst and Concerted StrikeConcerted Strike.

Concerted StrikeConcerted Strike has the upside of being Fast speed and thus a better reactive tool, but loses the silence effect and requires big enough units on our side. "It also loses the ability to directly generate LuxLux’s Final SparkFinal Spark," Painas says.

Never include more than two Concerted StrikeConcerted Strike!

Single Combat Solari Sunforger Blinded Mystic

One of the worst feelings with this deck is when your opponent develops a VeigarVeigar or GnarGnar, but your removal-heavy deck can’t deal with them.

Having Single CombatSingle Combat for these types of situations can be grand – the downside being our general lack of units. If we already have a Pale CascadePale Cascade and HushHush in hand, Single CombatSingle Combat won’t do us any favors in improving our board state.

Painas is not a big fan of the Single Combat tech. “Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing and SunburstSunburst are your deck’s main “solutions” against those threats,” he explains. “Single CombatSingle Combat can be great versus VeigarVeigar, but not so great versus  GnarGnar, except combined with Lux's Prismatic Barrier.”

Run only up to two copies of this card, and replace a Pale CascadePale Cascade and Guiding TouchGuiding Touch.

Solari SunforgerSolari Sunforger is the perfect anti-aggro tool, especially when you face a lot of Draven Rumble or Gnar Ziggs. Run this as a two-of.

“I would replace one SunburstSunburst, and one HushHush for Solari SunforgerSolari Sunforger when playing against aggro,” explains Painas.

Blinded MysticBlinded Mystic is an additional silence effect if you want to be even more consistent against Pantheon decks. It also provides another blocker for your board. 

Run this as a one-of and replace one copy of SharpsightSharpsight with it.

  • Always keep Zoe in the Mulligan

I can’t think of a single matchup where ZoeZoe is a wasted keep. She will always trade at least one for one and can become a win condition, as described above.

  • If you have Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing in hand, also keep Shield of DurandShield of Durand

The combo is simply too strong not to.


Matchups

Click on the enemy’s name and get linked to a popular decklist!

Senna Veigar - unfavored

Mulligan: Solari PriestessSolari Priestess, ApheliosAphelios, LuxLux

Invoke: The MessengerThe Messenger, The TricksterThe Trickster, The TravelerThe Traveler

Twisted Catalyzer Transposition The Ruination 

Darkness is one of the worst matchups for us, and unfortunately the most popular deck in the current meta.

Their DarknessDarkness efficiently removes Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing and ApheliosAphelios if ramped once. 

Petricite Broadwing is terrible in the early game, as it trades one for one against Twisted CatalyzerTwisted Catalyzer while allowing them to buff their Darkness. The card becomes more useful later on though, for removing their champions. 

“Though it’s not great, I wouldn’t say Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing is terrible either,” argues Painas. “We need a blocker versus Twisted CatalyzerTwisted Catalyzer after all.” 

The problem is that they have enough cheap tools to keep their champs alive, especially with TranspositionTransposition protecting them from our hard removal.

Mist's Call and Stress DefenseStress Defense are also really hard cards to play against,” adds Painas.

Thus, instead of attacking their champions, we can only challenge them in value generation. If we find Solari PriestessSolari Priestess and either overwhelm them with The Golden SisterThe Golden Sister, or create additional value through The TravelerThe Traveler, we might be able to outlast them. This usually requires them not drawing their champs though!

“Most of the time, you win this matchup through being the aggro player,” Painas explains. “Try to 'curve out' your units with a Vanguard SergeantVanguard Sergeant. Play an early For Demacia!For Demacia! and rely on your opponent not having their one-of The RuinationThe Ruination.”


Pantheon Yuumi - slightly favored

Mulligan: Spacey SketcherSpacey Sketcher, Solari PriestessSolari Priestess > SunburstSunburst

Invoke: EquinoxEquinox, Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike, Falling CometFalling Comet

Saga Seeker, Zenith Blade Golden Aegis

Mountain GoatMountain Goat and Brightsteel ProtectorBrightsteel Protector mean that we want to keep Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing in the Mulligan phase. 

We do everything we can to find an Equinox. If our opponent has a unit on board and we have Zoe – we attack with her anyways. The risk of running into SharpsightSharpsight is worth the reward of Invoking an EquinoxEquinox!

While our best way to win this matchup is to not lose, PantheonPantheon can still do some nasty things. This is why this matchup is only slightly favored. 

HushHush is really good against Pantheon, though you might need to remove his Spellshield with a slow spell first. Remember that YuumiYuumi’s +2|+2 buff won’t get silenced, and she will continue to buff the silenced unit!

One last tip I have is that you shouldn’t silence a unit before it gets Overwhelm. A 10|11 Wounded WhiteflameWounded Whiteflame without it doesn’t threaten any Nexus damage if you block it with a Lunari DuskbringerLunari Duskbringer.

“As mentioned by Leer, all Celestial generators are great in this matchup,” says Painas. “If they also play TaricTaric, it’s worth considering to pick Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike over EquinoxEquinox, usually in the mid to late game, if the foe doesn’t have a big unit on board.”


Pyke Rek’Sai - even

Mulligan: Lunari DuskbringerLunari Duskbringer, Spacey SketcherSpacey Sketcher, Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing, ApheliosAphelios

Invoke: Every choice can be good depending on your hand and the board state!

Death From Below Snapjaw Swarm Jaull-fish

We want to have as many units as possible, to block theirs. EquinoxEquinox rises in value the later the game goes, especially against their Overwhelm units Xerxa'Reth, The Undertitan and Xer'sai Dunebreaker.

Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing is also great at killing a Lurk unit on turn two or three, before it grows to three attack.

“Although, sometimes, it’s worth waiting with Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing to kill PykePyke!” adds Painas.

Stunning Rek’Sai with Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike can be game-winning. Overall, if they don't want to risk missing a Lurk, they’ll have to open-attack as long as you hold a Celestial card that could be a stun.

ApheliosAphelios can also create that great stun :P,” reminds Painas.

This matchup is highly luck-based. If they get the attack token on turn one, their winning chances increase by 10%. If and how many PykePykes they see in their Prediction is also RNG-dependent. This deck can high roll and frustrate you out of your mind, or low roll and frustrate the opponent out of their mind.


Tristana DE - slightly unfavored

Mulligan: Lunari DuskbringerLunari Duskbringer, ApheliosAphelios, Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing

Invoke: Every choice can be good dependent on your hand and the board state! Units tend to be better than spells, unless there’s a TristanaTristana, GnarGnar, or LuxLux on board.

Buster Shot Yordles in Arms Golden Aegis

The good news: We are able to compete with the value of their card-generating plays.

The bad news: They out-tempo us.

Chaining CrescendumCrescendum into CalibrumCalibrum with Aphelios works well in this matchup. Playing his Moon Weapons for three mana means losing in tempo though, which the foe is usually playing for. We also lack cheap removal for TristanaTristana.

Another problem is that we can’t close out the game fast enough before they find their Yordles in Arms Yordles in Arms + Golden AegisGolden Aegis combo. For that reason, it is imperative to find a Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike in time.

That's why we want to trade as many of their units away as possible. Be careful to not play into Ranger's Resolve though. My rule of thumb is to let only one of their units survive the trade if they should have it.


Scouts - favored

Mulligan: Lunari DuskbringerLunari Duskbringer, ApheliosAphelios, Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing, Vanguard SergeantVanguard Sergeant

Invoke: The MessengerThe Messenger, The TricksterThe Trickster, The WarriorThe Warrior, The Golden SisterThe Golden Sister, Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike

Petricite Broadwing Cithria the Bold Golden Aegis

Since they rely on their well-statted units to survive, and benefit from board-wide buffs, we want to trade as many units as possible early.

Aphelios can come in clutch in this matchup. While we would like to pick CalibrumCalibrum with him, we can’t Phase an immediately useful Moon Weapon then. It’s still best to pick CrescendumCrescendum and swiftly create CalibrumCalibrum. Don’t be afraid to use GravitumGravitum on a Scout unit, especially if it means that one of their champions can’t level up.

The WarriorThe Warrior and The Golden SisterThe Golden Sister are Tier S picks in this matchup. While the sisters out-trade a lot of their two-attack units, The WarriorThe Warrior – who is the resurrected Pantheon, or Atreus btw! – removes their champions while also surviving the trade. Scouts has no protective tools besides their pump spells and the Barrier effect from Golden Aegis, so The WarriorThe Warrior will always find value in this matchup!

Finally, Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike becomes extremely powerful later on. If they have a Cithria the BoldCithria the Bold, or an almost-leveled Miss FortuneMiss Fortune on board, the common procedure of actions is this:

Golden AegisGolden Aegis -> Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike -> Enemy concedes.

“You have enough ways to deal with enemy champions,” explains Painas. “But be careful when using your attack token. You don't want to attack with a Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing on board, if they could develop Miss FortuneMiss Fortune afterwards. In this matchup, you can proactively play Shield of DurandShield of Durand in case you would burn mana (e.g. turn one nothing, turn two Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing, turn three Shield of DurandShield of Durand without attacking]]).”


Trundle Gnar - unfavored

Mulligan: Solari PriestessSolari Priestess, Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing

Invoke: The TricksterThe Trickster, The Golden SisterThe Golden Sister

Concurrent Timelines Buried in Ice It That Stares 

Their gameplan is to play a lot of units that have a weak body but a powerful summon effect – like Aloof TravelersAloof Travelers or Icevale ArcherIcevale Archer – and transform them into a strong unit through Concurrent TimelinesConcurrent Timelines

While that also makes them a value-oriented archetype, they have two key mechanics to blow us out of the game:

First, they can play Ice PillarIce Pillar on turn eight, transform it into a real eight-drop, refill their mana, and play a second eight-mana card. This combo overwhelms us, and comes into play just in time before we can lethal them with The Great BeyondThe Great Beyond or The Immortal FireThe Immortal Fire.

Second, we can’t play around their Buried in IceBuried in Ice into It That StaresIt That Stares combo. And if we hold back developing our board, they will overrun us with their transformed units.

Zoe can become an interesting win condition, as this is one of the few matchups where she might level up. In one game, my opponent even had to EntombEntomb her to prevent her from leveling, winning them the game.

Our best shot is going for our value-oriented Invoke plan and trying to push Nexus damage through The TricksterThe Trickster and The Silver SisterThe Silver Sister.

“Also, if you have the attack token on turn six, a wide attack with For Demacia!For Demacia! is great if you can prepare it,” says Painas. "If the opponent has Buried in IceBuried in Ice as an answer, you will have those (still buffed) units ready to attack on turn eight!”


Akshan Sivir - even

Mulligan: Lunari DuskbringerLunari Duskbringer, ApheliosAphelios, Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing

Invoke: Any unit, Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike

Merciless Hunter Vekauran Bruiser Golden Aegis

Our bread and butter for this matchup is Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing. It threatens their champions, while both decks have equal access to pump spells. If we time it right, and always keep two mana open to prevent our opponent from playing their champs, we are at a decisive advantage.

AkshanAkshan with his Quick Attack, and Sivir with her Quick Attack and Spellshield are problematic if they develop them during their turn,” adds Painas (since we can’t deal with them on the same turn, and they will have enough mana for spells to protect them from our Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing attack the next turn).

This matchup is also a perfect example of how to use Aphelios: Since they are also playing Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing, as well as tons of removal spells like Single CombatSingle Combat, there is no way that Aphel will stay on the board for long.

Despite that fact, he is the key to winning this matchup. When we play him, we tutor Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing with CrescendumCrescendum, and when they try to kill him, we create his Phased Moon Weapon in hand before he dies. This will usually lead to a two-for-one, or even three-for-one card advantage in our favor.

Don’t try to save Aphelios!!

When it comes to closing out the game, it can become tricky. If we play The Great BeyondThe Great Beyond and tap out of mana, they could just play a SivirSivir, The AbsolverThe Absolver, and Rally. Be very careful with tapping out of mana against Akshan Sivir!

Since they run Golden AegisGolden Aegis, Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike becomes valuable later on. But again: Don’t waste this card early to save you Aphelios, he won’t create any Moon Weapon more powerful than Crescent StrikeCrescent Strike.


Tournament Consideration

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Aphel Lux shares regions with Pantheon Yuumi. While the first slaps medium-sized asses, our beloved muscleman spanks the thickest, most legendary butts.

In a Bo3 environment like Tournaments and Gauntlets, it’s difficult to argue for Aphel over Pantheon if you want to maximize your winning chances. However, since you’ve read this guide this far, you’ve probably taken a liking to Aphelios Lux and don’t care about optimization! 

If you want to bring this deck with two other strong companions, you could go for a triple Petricite BroadwingPetricite Broadwing lineup with Akshan Sivir and Scouts! 

The trouble comes with the ban strategy though. While most Demacian decks collapse against aggro, this one wants to ban Darkness and Gnarlines… which Akshan Sivir and Scouts actually are good against.

Nonetheless, since there isn’t much aggro around, this lineup will be favored into most of the field. We’re especially favored into other Demacian lineups bringing Scouts.


Many thanks go to Painas for his insightful contribution, sharing his valuable time for this article. Also, without Herko Kerghans’ and Hydroflare’s editing magic, this text wouldn’t read nearly as fluently as it does!

If you want to ask questions about this guide, or the deck in general, do so in the Reddit thread comments (link). You can also ping me on Discord (@Leer #2026) or tag me on Twitter (link).

If you want to read more by me, consider subscribing to the Premium Membership (link) of our website. There are a lot of guides available – alongside many other benefits – including my Pantheon Yuumi DE one!

Thanks for reading and see you next time! =)