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Seraphine and The Clash at Noxus – A Seraphine Ezreal LoR Deck Guide

MaRu's most meticulous manuscript maker meets Seraphine Ezreal for their Noxus concert – what ensues is perhaps the most detailed, in-depth deck guide in LoR's history.

With the release of the Domination expansion, a lot of players have been trying to find the best deck to utilize Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2)’s powerful ability of doubling New spells that cost two or less. EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine NXNoxus has made a strong early emergence as the primary contender for the best Seraphine deck, and one of the best LoR decks overall.

Ezreal, Seraphine, and Noxus make a strong trio doing their best to cover each other’s weaknesses. Ezreal and Noxus have always been a strong pairing, Piltover's gauntlet-wielding explorer being a good finisher who pairs well with the efficient removal that Noxus brings; however, this pairing can be prone to running low on value. Seraphine does a great job of providing this value, and in exchange she receives a way to quickly end the game and protect herself from key threats through removing them.

The deck feels like a hybrid of AnnieAnnie EzrealEzreal and EzrealEzreal KarmaKarma; but, unlike these decks of old, EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine is powerful enough to be a strong meta contender. 


LoR Deck Ezreal Seraphine – Card Breakdown

This deck list for EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine is a slightly modified version of Mtuck’s list that he used to win Saturday Scramble #2

Regions
Piltover & Zaun
27 cards
Noxus
13 cards
Rarities
28 200
champion
6
epic
4
rare
12
common
18
eternal
Mana cost
1
0
5
1
16
2
6
3
2
4
6
5
0
6
4
7+
Champions
6
2
Seraphine
3
Seraphine
3
Ezreal
3
Ezreal
Landmarks
2
7
Back Alley Bar
2
Back Alley Bar
Followers
9
2
Ionian Hookmaster
3
Ionian Hookmaster
3
Arachnoid Sentry
2
Arachnoid Sentry
3
Thorn of the Rose
1
Thorn of the Rose
5
Fanclub President
3
Fanclub President
Spells
23
0
Thermogenic Beam
1
Thermogenic Beam
1
Blade's Edge
1
Blade's Edge
1
Piltovan Tellstones
1
Piltovan Tellstones
1
Ravenous Flock
3
Ravenous Flock
2
Disintegrate
3
Disintegrate
2
High Note
1
High Note
2
Mystic Shot
2
Mystic Shot
2
Rummage
1
Rummage
2
The Violent Dischord
2
The Violent Dischord
2
Time Trick
1
Time Trick
4
Statikk Shock
2
Statikk Shock
5
Drum Solo
3
Drum Solo
7
Sputtering Songspinner
2
Sputtering Songspinner

Ezreal Ezreal (level 2)

Seraphine Seraphine (level 2)

EzrealEzreal and SeraphineSeraphine are our most important cards, as they do nearly all of the work when it comes to closing the game. They are extremely potent in this particular build: they can quickly end the game when leveled, without entering combat, while being very cheap units. This means we can have plenty of mana banked up to take advantage of either of their level-two effects as soon as they enter play. And these Champs will quickly end the game if they stay in play for too long.

Ezreal and Seraphine also provide us with another important function. They allow their supporting 34 cards to consist almost entirely of cheap removal spells and ways to generate card advantage. Decks that have tried to be built like this in the past have always had a fundamental issue: either they don’t have enough card advantage (due to having to play removal that is too card-advantage inefficient, like Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock), or they don't run removal that’s mana-efficient enough, like JayceJayce HeimerdingerHeimerdinger. Or, their wincon is too slow or just isn’t reliable, like Noxus Ravenbloom ConservatoryRavenbloom Conservatory Catalogue of RegretsCatalogue of Regrets decks.

Seraphine squeezes enough value out of our cheap cards and draw spells to finally make this archetype function extremely efficiently. In fact, sometimes she is so good at squeezing value out of these cards that we end up with too many cards in hand.

Ezreal provides this removal pile a real way to end the game. Sometimes he can take a round or two to get there on his own, but when Ez and Seraphine are in play together, the game will end very quickly.

Sputtering Songspinner

Songspinner is one of the few cards played specifically to facilitate the Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) win condition (besides the increased one-of ratio). With a leveled Seraphine in play, Songspinner is twelve mana worth of cards at the cost of seven mana – creating this much free value can be a huge game swing. And If Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) is in play, the spell triggers alone are a minimum of seven damage. This doesn't even begin to count how the spells being created can positively impact the game state, or generate spells that will create more spells, or even just spells that target.

And, even at its floor – as in, playing it in the midgame with no Champions in play – Sputtering is more reliable than you would think at finding answers to your problems. Additionally, a Songspinner will count as a minimum of 4/6 Seraphine triggers for her level up. 

Back Alley Bar Back Alley Barkeep

The Bar is the other card played specifically to enable the Champions as win conditions. In grindy, removal-centric matchups, the mana that the Bar can cheat is crucial to assemble explosive rounds, pushings lots of damage with Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) or creating lots of value with Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2). And the injection of value from the Barkeep is very nice as well – the list is light on units, so the body is appreciated. Additionally, the randomly generated card from the Barkeep can sometimes be a game-winning card on its own.

Generally, Bar is a great play on round six in slower matchups if we have banked two or three spell mana – the mana discount that the Bar will provide allows removal for any key threat to be held up, if some spell mana is saved.

Ionian Hookmaster

Hookmaster is one of the best cards in the game and facilitates The Violent DischordThe Violent Dischord, so it is an auto-include in this list. It is also one of the only proactive plays we have and the only card I want to see in my opening hand every game.

Fanclub President

Ms. President is a very reasonable card: a four-mana 2/2 which Manifests a five-mana spell and discounts it to two mana. A 2/2 is worth a one-mana body, and a five-mana spell is worth, well, five mana. The Manifest pool is pretty good as well; you can choose from multiple different draw spells, interaction spells, or a few other odd options that can create plenty of different, weird outs.

The President herself doesn’t really cheat mana: she provides six mana worth of value, and costs (herself plus the spell) six mana…

… but, here's the kicker: when the spell the President manifests is New, and with Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) in play (who will copy it), said spell becomes amazing value: now we get two five-mana spells for the cost of just two mana

For example: a leveled Seraphine and a discounted Deep MeditationDeep Meditation is the equivalent of KarmaKarma and Deep Med, an eight-mana play prior to this expansion, which demonstrates just how powerful the President and the deck truly can be.

And on top of that, consider that if you have Back Alley BarBack Alley Bar in play, New spells Manifested by the President will cost just one mana!

Arachnoid Sentry Thorn of the Rose Guile

Sentry and Thorn are natural inclusion in any Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock deck. Sentry also has extra upside with EzrealEzreal, as the Sentry’s Stun skill can progress Ezreal’s level up despite not being a spell.

Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry also serves as an excellent development punishment – removing an opposing unit from combat for the round, while developing a unit on the board ourselves, is an extremely powerful effect, essentially “cheating” on actions and gaining us tempo. While not as common in this deck, these cards can also be used aggressively.

Ravenous Flock Disintegrate

Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock has always been a very powerful card due to its amazing efficiency: four damage for one mana. However, for a long time Flock decks had a fundamental weakness: it was near impossible to answer a large undamaged unit in one action (since you cannot put Flock on the spell stack if the unit is not already damaged). This could be especially problematic against AtrocityAtrocity decks, and decks that could present open attacks with large, undamaged units.

This all changed when DisintegrateDisintegrate was released, providing Flock decks with a spell that can answer large, undamaged units for a small amount of mana and in turn providing Flock decks an edge against strategies that proved difficult to handle prior to the release of Disintegrate – for example, nowadays SejuaniSejuani RenektonRenekton Overwhelm is a favored matchup for Flock decks, while a little over a year ago Tri-beam ImprobulatorTri-beam Improbulator wasn’t favored against Shurima Overwhelm.

Flock and Disintegrate also create a very nasty fork for our foe. Disintegrate will kill any full-health unit, and flock will kill (almost) any damaged unit. This makes it very awkward for an opponent to play around our removal suite.

These cards are extremely powerful, but they have a drawback: their powerful, mana-efficient effects come with conditions. Both spells require the unit to take damage to be activated; however, Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock can also be activated through the use of the list’s stun cards, Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry and Thorn of the RoseThorn of the Rose

This means Flock and Disintegrate aren’t taxing on mana, but rather cards in hand. It is a good idea to always be trying to have a way to trigger them (especially if we already have them in hand), and keep in mind that units can be a better way than spells to activate Flock and Disintegrate.

Statikk Shock

Ping effects are very important in this deck. They are great for leveling EzrealEzreal and they are phenomenal for activating Ravenous FlockRavenous Flocks or DisintegrateDisintegrates.

Blade's Edge is extremely mana efficient, costing just one mana; however, it is a rather low-value card, providing a single ping and a single Ezreal level progress. Statikk is less mana-efficient (four mana for two pings and a draw); however, Statikk replaces itself, majorly helping to prevent the hand-cannibalization that would usually occur from comboing a ping effect with a Flock or Disintegrate.

Mystic Shot The Violent Dischord

At first glance Mystic and Dischord seem like the same card if Dischord's equip clause has been activated, since they both deal two damage in that case – the fact that Dischord is two pings, though, leads to a lot of meaningful differences in how the cards affect the game state. 

The most obvious implication is how these cards synergize with Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) and Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2). Since Dischord is cast as two spells on the stack, it provides an extra trigger for Ezreal's level-up.

On the other hand, if you play a New Violent Dischord while Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) is in play, her copy effect will only copy Dischord once, thus creating just three pings on the stack. This is less damage than a New [[Mystic Shot[[ played in the same scenario, as the Shot will do four damage (after being copied by Seraphine).

Additionally, Dischord and Mystic have different implications when trying to play around keywords. Dischord is a great way for Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock decks to get around SpellShield with just one card, and it's also strong into Barrier; however, Dischord is useless against Tough.

Thermogenic Beam

Thermogenic BeamThermogenic Beam is flexible removal that can even be doubled with a Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) in some spots. It can also be cast for zero mana, to provide Seraphine level-up progress for free if you are in a position where you need to level up Seraphine quickly and mana is tight.

It's our least important spell, though, and most likely the first cut if you want to change the list.

Piltovan Tellstones

Aftershock Hextech Transmogulator Progress Day!

Tellstones are a great one-of, providing multiple spell triggers for SeraphineSeraphine, removal or card draw in a pinch, and landmark destruction. Very occasionally it will be correct to play a Transmogulator, for example to transform a XolaaniXolaani.

Time Trick Rummage

The dream with these spells is to play them with Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) in play and draw an unreasonable amount of cards. But even when that doesn’t happen, these cards are still very useful. Time TrickTime Trick will often find whatever card we are missing, and RummageRummage will help manage hand size in grindy games.

Drum Solo

Drum SoloDrum Solo is a very powerful card, if the Flow clause is activated. A five-mana draw spell that discounts each card drawn by two mana converts to one mana for two cards – an absurd rate, as long as Flow is activated. And It’s even more powerful when abusing the discount that will be provided on the drawn cards.

Our EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine deck very naturally activates Flow. The natural play patterns of Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock and DisintegrateDisintegrate play into Flowing; additionally, over half of our list is spells, ensuring there are plenty of ways to trigger Flow.

The list is crafted in a way to take full advantage of the discount on drawn cards as well. Most of the spells that can be drawn will cost zero mana after being discounted by two mana. This makes it incredibly difficult for the opponent to play removal. And if a New Statikk ShockStatikk Shock is drawn off of Drum Solo and cast with Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) in play, the value created will often be game-winning.


Tech Cards

Ferros Financier

Ferros is both a unit and a value generating card. He also can give access to new answers or win conditions that weren’t previously accessible in hand or deck.

Aloof Travelers

Aloof is a powerful tool to answer opponents' win conditions before they get played – in the current meta, though, I haven’t had much of an issue answering the opposing win conditions after they enter play.

Parts Made Whole

More value, and can help fix hand size issues. This is especially helpful when multiple Ionian HookmasterIonian Hookmaster have been drawn.

Fallen Feline Hexite Crystal

Playing a Crystal with a Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) in play makes it very difficult for the opponent to win the game, but it doesn’t straight up win the game in every matchup. The list is very tight as is, but the cat is a compelling inclusion depending on where the meta goes.

Scorched Earth

Scorched is more hard removal and can also remove opposing Back Alley BarBack Alley Bars in SeraphineSeraphine mirrors.


Seraphine Ezreal – General Gameplan

Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) is a deck where the initial game plan is to be reactive and take advantage of the fact these two Champions can level-up while not in play. Once the Champions have been leveled and some spells have been stocked up, the goal is to quickly transition into becoming the aggressor, by playing out extremely powerful Champions and taking advantage of their ability to create lots of value using the spell stack. 

When in play together, Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) and Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) can pump absurd amounts of Nexus damage very quickly. If set up properly, it’s not uncommon to be able to push over 15 Nexus damage in a single round, sometimes all at burst speed.


Understanding Your Role

EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine can be a very tricky deck to pick up at first, because a major aspect to being a proficient pilot is to understand how to properly “role swap”. Or, in other words, recognize when to switch from being the reactive deck to the proactive deck. 

In almost every matchup we will be the one who needs to be reactive at first (although in some cases, like against decks with KarmaKarma for example, we have to be proactive). We don’t have reliable protection for our Champions, and they are essential tools for ending the game. Additionally, most of our deck is filled with removal spells or draw cards, putting us in a position where it is difficult to be proactive early. 

The thing that differs in almost every matchup (and sometimes every game), is when to make the switch and become the aggressor. There are many factors that determine when it’s correct to make this role swap. The most important questions to ask yourself are: “What is my opponent’s clock?” and, “How likely is the opponent to kill my Champions?”

How quickly the opponent is threatening to kill you will in turn affect how long you have until you need to kill the opponent. If the opponent isn’t applying a worrying clock, I like to take my time when playing out my EzrealEzreal and/or SeraphineSeraphine, making sure I get enough value out of these cards to secure a game win.

Additionally, the amount of interaction the opponent has is a major factor on when you will switch to the aggressor role. If the opponent can’t efficiently answer Ezreal or Seraphine, we are free to play out these Champions very early into the game, even when they are only at level one, and start to slowly accrue value and apply pressure through having our threats in play. A great example of this is against AnnieAnnie JhinJhin: in this matchup, Seraphine is a great early unit due to being able block a unit and survive, while also creating a spell to potentially stabilize even further.

On the other hand, if the opponent has a lot of ways to remove our Champions, it is very important to be very smart about when we deploy them and transition into aggression – we need to make sure we get enough value out of our Champions, in order to close the game. This means we need to have lots of mana and spells saved up in order to take advantage of Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) and Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2)'s ability to produce so much value on the spell stack.


Playing Reactive

When playing reactive, it’s very important to make as efficient use of cards and mana as possible. This does not mean that it’s a good idea to spend all excess mana every round and send out cards as quickly as possible to remove any unit that hits play – on the contrary, ensure you efficiently plan out your rounds and keep track of mana. Make sure to spend mana in a smart way on the current round to avoid an awkward position in future rounds – this is especially important when planning when to play Drum SoloDrum Solo

Ensuring as much value as possible out of each card is crucial as well. Noxus removal spells like Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock and DisintegrateDisintegrate are extremely powerful and mana-efficient – however, these spells are conditional and very taxing on another resource: cards.

Thoughtful use of spells is of the utmost importance, and the usage of removal is based on multiple factors: mana efficiency, card efficiency, and making sure to get value out of conditional cards (like Flock). Trying to not overkill units with spells, as well as using units as ways to activate Flocks and Disintegrates, are key ways to maximize your card efficiency.

Additionally, removal cards are also cards that will be used to end the game once EzrealEzreal comes down. Wasting cards is wasting damage, which can matter a lot – it's not uncommon for Ezreal to be tasked with doing all 20 Nexus damage.


Switching to the Aggressor

The most important part of switching to the aggressor role is picking the proper timing in order to guarantee that Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) or Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) (or both) create enough impact to win the game.

When playing against a deck that won’t be able to remove our Champs, switching to the aggressor is quite simple. When you can afford to spend the mana to put Champions into play instead of preventing the opponent's gameplan, do that. From there, keep thwarting the opponents game plan until a level-two Champion comes online. From there, they should be able to close out the game.

Against decks that aim to remove EzrealEzreal and SeraphineSeraphine the game gets a lot trickier, but a lot more fun. It is obviously ideal to get an Ezreal and Seraphine into play at the same time with mana backup. If this happens the game is most likely won; however, this is very hard to do as the opponent should try and remove these units on sight.

The way to facilitate this gamestate is to wait and incentivize the opponent to tap out of their removal mana on their attacking round, while holding up enough mana ourselves to play a Champion. If this happens, we can play our Champ on the opponent’s attacking round when they don’t have mana to interact. From there, take advantage of getting the first action the following round to play the other Champion. This will get both Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) and Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) in play together with plenty of mana back up to try and end the game.

Let's see who's the beatdown now!

A lot of the time, unfortunately, the opponent won’t allow both Champions to be in play together. When this is the case, the plan is to take rounds alternating which Champion gets played and trying to take advantage of their effects on the spell stack before they are removed. Having two, three, or sometimes even four of these high-power rounds back-to-back will often push over the finish line even against decks designed to remove every Ez and Seraphine on sight.

SwainSwain decks can provide a good hypothetical way of how to play out this scenario. Swain decks are, like us, Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock decks and will aim to try and remove Ez and Seraphine on sight. In a matchup like this, my goal is to play out Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) on one of the opponent’s later attacking rounds, like round eight or nine, and then take advantage of my 8-9 banked mana to cull down the opponent's board and get value out of Ezreal while they try to remove him. This can then be followed up with Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) and a Sputtering SongspinnerSputtering Songspinner the following round, creating lots of value and often pushing meaningful damage if any units are on board. Sometimes, Seraphine can be a reliable refill option if you hit cards like Eye of NagakabourosEye of Nagakabouros, PortalpaloozaPortalpalooza, or Deep MeditationDeep Meditation off of Fanclub PresidentFanclub President

This play pattern can become even more powerful if we can repeat this cycle of value in future rounds, with more Seraphines or Ezreals. Additionally, if the opponent ever runs out of removal for these Champions the game will quickly end.


Winning Without Champions

Some games, Champions just won’t get drawn, or can never get in play and create meaningful value. These games are very difficult to navigate, but still winnable. 

We have lots of ways to deal little bits of Nexus damage, in order to make Ezreal lethals easier: Equipment, small units that the opponent doesn't want to value-trade into, and having removal that can easily transition into burn are great for pushing small amounts of damage. 

When you combine this chip damage with good tempo plays, through efficient use of removal and aggressive use of Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry, we can create rounds where we push very meaningful chunks of damage. These rounds can quickly turn into lethal attacks with powerful Fanclub PresidentFanclub President hits like Yordles in Arms Yordles in Arms , Decisive ManeuverDecisive Maneuver, ShunpoShunpo, or Moonlight AfflictionMoonlight Affliction.


Tips, Tricks, and Other Intricacies

The Violent DischordThe Violent Dischord Spell Stacking

Once the The Violent DischordThe Violent Dischord’s equipment clause has been activated some new, and very powerful, play patterns are unlocked for this NXNoxus PZPiltover & Zaun style of deck.

Dischord gives a lot of powerful ways to play around SpellShield, something that NXNoxus PZPiltover & Zaun lacked before this expansion. When trying to damage a SpellShielded unit so we can then Flock it, The Violent DischordThe Violent Dischord very nicely pops the spell shield and damages the unit through a normal cast.

And it can also combo with DisintegrateDisintegrate to get around SpellShield, too! Put an activated The Violent DischordThe Violent Dischord on the stack first, then a DisintegrateDisintegrate, and commit them at the same time. The Dischord will copy itself on the stack ("wrapping" around the Disintegrate, so to speak), with the Dischord copy being the first spell to resolve on the stack and thus popping the SpellShield, in turn and allowing the Disintegrate to mark the previously SpellShield unit. Since the unit is now marked by Disintegrate, it will now die to the initial cast of the Violent Dischord triggering the Disintegrate. 

When done properly, it should look like this: 

If Dischord's equipment clause is triggered, then cast Dischord first, then Disintegrate...
... Dischord will cast its duplicate an put it to the left of Disintegrate, thus resolving first.

Doubling SeraphineSeraphine

When Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) copies Seraphine's High Note, two Seraphines are shuffled into the deck. This can be taken advantage of to either make more Champions than the enemy can remove, or put one extra card in deck in case the game goes long and we are at risk of decking out.

This play can be very important in grindy matchups, like against other Seraphine decks.


Control Deck, But No Heal

This deck is fundamentally a reactive control-style deck with a combo-burn finish. It is important to note that we are playing a fundamentally control game plan without access to any healing, due to the restrictions of Noxus and P&Z – we need to be very wary of our Nexus health while we use it as a resource. 

Managing health is very delicate and very important, as it's a quickly fleeting yet vital resource. A good rule of thumb is to recognize important Nexus health breakpoints to try and stay above against certain decks. For example, it's often safe to go down to 1 or 2 Nexus health against Demacia due to their low amount of reach if they aren’t attacking; however, against a burn deck like AnnieAnnie JhinJhin its ideal to have as much health as possible due to their ability to push a lot of damage that is difficult, or sometimes even impossible, to interact with.


Champion Leveling on the Spell Stack

SeraphineSeraphine and EzrealEzreal can both level up from spells on the stack, and will start applying their effect to the next applicable spell on the stack. The way spells resolve on the stack is determined by FILO (first in, last out) – for example: when playing DisintegrateDisintegrate, the damaging spell is put onto the stack first, then Disintegrate, then commit. The Disintegrate resolves first, then the damaging spell activates the Disintegrate clause.

Taking advantage of this with Seraphine, for example, can often save a Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) from Challenger units threatening her in combat. This can be very important with Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) as well, since efficiently layering your spell stack to get a little bit more damage from Ezreal can be a game changer.


Manifest Wisely

When playing Fanclub PresidentFanclub President (and also when playing Ferros FinancierFerros Financier, although less so) it’s crucial to think critically about all of the potential Manifest options. Choices like StarshapingStarshaping, Drum SoloDrum Solo, and SunburstSunburst are often extremely tempting; however, these options can often be redundant and do not add any new lines of play to the hand or deck. On the contrary, spells like Moonlight AfflictionMoonlight Affliction, Blessing of TargonBlessing of Targon and Heedless ResurrectionHeedless Resurrection can open up alternative lines of play.


Managing Hand Size

When playing EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine it’s important to always be mindful of hand size. We have a lot of ways to draw or create multiple cards in hand, like Drum SoloDrum Solo and Sputtering SongspinnerSputtering Songspinner. When playing these spells it's crucial to ensure cards aren’t being burnt due to our hand being full – losing out on these cards can cost us the game.

Additionally, in grindy matchups, like the mirror, there will often be positions where both players pass back and forth, waiting for the other player to make the first move. Hands will quickly get full, and we'll have to start playing cards to avoid burning the new draws – we'll need to liquidate low-value cards to make room for new cards. Try to always have an approximate value of the cards in hand in order to make good decisions on which card to let go from your hand.


Keep Track of New Cards

It’s very important to be aware of what cards are New and what cards have already been played (note that New cards in your hand are marked by a special sparkle around their border). Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) doubling a spell or not can often be game deciding. It can also be very important for planning up mana properly in later rounds, with Back Alley BarBack Alley Bar or when leveling Seraphine.


Count Ezreal Damage / Abuse Burst-speed Lethals

It is very important to count how much damage Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) can dish out when he comes down, or is being threatened to be removed. If Ezreal can force a lethal, it will often be correct to throw everything on the stack and go for the win. Especially go for lethal if Ezreal's triggers push all of the damage needed, as Ezreal will kill the opponent at burst speed before they can interact.

If we spend lots of mana and spells inefficiently trying to reach a non-existent lethal, the game can quickly become very difficult to win. This is also why taking advantage of Ezreal’s ability to damage the Nexus at burst speed is so important when going for an Ezreal lethal; when commiting a lot of spells and mana, make sure it's efficient and that victory is guaranteed.


Ezreal Seraphine – Mulligan Advice

The only card I will almost always be looking to keep is Ionian HookmasterIonian Hookmaster, as it’s a good, proactive early play. The  rest of the cards I will look for will change based on the matchup. In addition to Hookmaster, I like to keep Back Alley BarBack Alley Bar and Fanclub PresidentFanclub President in grindy matchups such as against other SeraphineSeraphine decks.

Our deck comes packed with removal, so if I’m keeping a removal spell I want it to be extremely effective in the matchup, like keeping DisintegrateDisintegrate against PantheonPantheon decks or Mystic ShotMystic Shot against an AkshanAkshan deck.

Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry can often be a good keep with Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock if this combo is especially effective at stopping the opponent from advancing their gameplan. 

I will almost never keep SeraphineSeraphine, and I can’t think of a time I would ever keep EzrealEzreal. I usually don’t want to spend mana on Champions early when I could be advancing my gameplan in other ways. Additionally, a lot of decks will try to remove our Champs on sight –  playing and exposing them to removal before I can get value out of them can make games much more difficult to win.


Ezreal Seraphine – Specific Match Up Advice

Ezreal Seraphine Deck: Ezreal, one of our champions and our main win condition

Viktor Seraphine Shadow Isles (Unfavored)

Key Cards: Back Alley BarBack Alley Bar and Fanclub PresidentFanclub President. Piltovan TellstonesPiltovan Tellstones, Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, and DisintegrateDisintegrate are also key cards, but generally shouldn’t be kept in the mulligan.

Viktor Seraphine Shadow Isles can prove to be quite difficult, as they tend to have a bit more value than us. Additionally, QuietusQuietus is an extremely efficient piece of removal, killing our Champions for only one mana. This can make it very hard to set up the round where we deploy EzrealEzreal or SeraphineSeraphine and try to transition to the aggressor role.

Since the opponent will be trying to remove win conditions on sight through VengeanceVengeance and QuietusQuietus, try to set up an explosive round to squeeze as much value as possible from Ez or Seraphine on the spell stack. Due to this, Back Alley BarBack Alley Bar is an extremely important card in this matchup, allowing even more cards to be played in an explosive turn. The difference between one player having a Bar and the other not can be game-warping. This also makes Piltovan TellstonesPiltovan Tellstones very powerful, to burn down the enemy Bar. 

Creating this Bar differential makes it easier to stress the opponent's mana through developing minor threats, like small units with Equipment on them, in turn making it easier to set up explosive EzrealEzreal or SeraphineSeraphine rounds. 

Even with the same or less amount of Bars in play as the opponent, you still want to be looking for opportunities to stress the opponent’s mana and create better opportunities to have explosive rounds with Champions. It’s just going to be more difficult to facilitate these situations.

For the opposite side of the matchup, here's Yangzera's Viktor Seraphine Shadow Isles Deck Guide.


Mirror (Even)

Key Cards: Back Alley BarBack Alley Bar and Fanclub PresidentFanclub President. Piltovan TellstonesPiltovan Tellstones, Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, and DisintegrateDisintegrate are also key cards, but in general shouldn’t be kept in the mulligan.

The mirror plays out quite similarly to the SIShadow Isles SeraphineSeraphine matchup. It applies the same fundamentals, but is overall a bit easier due to being harder for the opponent to drown us in value, and the fact there isn’t a removal option as efficient as QuietusQuietus to deal with EzrealEzreal and SeraphineSeraphine.

Since both decks are SeraphineSeraphine decks, you want to make sure you are tracking which cards the opponent has already played and if they have any discounted spells from Fanclub PresidentFanclub President or Drum SoloDrum Solo in hand. These little bits of information can create big advantages when applied properly to sequencing.


Vayne Jax (Unfavored)

Key Cards: Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, DisintegrateDisintegrate, and Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry

Vayne Jax will often be difficult due to the JaxJax half of this deck. NXNoxus removal, like Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock and DisintegrateDisintegrate, is very powerful against DEDemacia decks – on the other hand, though, Equipment is very good against damage decks like EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine. Equipment are like recurring combat tricks, and that can prove very difficult to hold down for the entire game.

The goal is to control their board early and use Nexus health wisely as a resource. Try to quickly transition to the aggressor, as it is hard to keep up with the value of their Improvise units, The Darkin AegisThe Darkin Aegis, and Bloodcursed HarpyBloodcursed Harpy.

For the other side of this matchup, here's Wekhar's Jax Vayne Deck Guide.


Zed Vayne, Rumble Vayne and Gwen Vayne (Favored or Very Favored)

Key Cards: Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, DisintegrateDisintegrate, and Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry 

The rest of the VayneVayne decks are much more manageable. Zed Vayne's Ionian tricks, Gwen Vayne's Hallowed tools, and the aggression RumbleRumble brings are all much more manageable than JaxJax and his Equipment.

The game plan for these matches is simple: remove all of their key units. It’s especially important to utilize our units efficiently in combat to facilitate this. Due to having less equipment, this a more realistic game plan and gives us more time, so we need not rush as quickly into becoming the aggressor.


PantheonPantheon Decks (Unfavored)

Key Cards: Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, DisintegrateDisintegrate, and Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry 

PantheonPantheon decks can prove problematic because they love to play with Equipment, and as already noted, we can have a hard time beating decks that play lots of Equipment. 

This is even further amplified if the equipment being played is Darkin Equipment. The Darkin LodestoneThe Darkin Lodestone and The Darkin AegisThe Darkin Aegis in particular are very difficult for us to deal with. 

Lodestone can quickly pump out lots of stats, making it difficult to use removal as efficiently as we'd like. Aegis provides a unit +1/+1 and Tough, with Tough being especially problematic since we are a damage-based removal deck. And the Darkin units are also problematic as they are significant threats that demand even more resources after the opponent has run out of units to play Equipment on.

When Pantheon doesn’t draw equipment, the matchup tends to be quite reasonable. Play a standard gameplan like against any Demacia deck: remove their key threats and slowly transition into the aggressor. Make sure to be wary of Guiding TouchGuiding Touch as well as SpellShield, and plan your removal accordingly.

When the opposing Pantheon player does draw their equipment, it’s crucial to make extremely efficient use of removal and quickly transition into the aggressor. Being able to constantly replay the Equipment and make almost any Fated unit a reasonably sized threat can demand more removal than we have access to – we must try and transition quickly to the beatdown role.


Katarina Gwen (Slightly Unfavored)

Key Cards: Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry, Statikk ShockStatikk Shock, and Mystic ShotMystic Shot or The Violent DischordThe Violent Dischord (if you have an Ionian HookmasterIonian Hookmaster

The HarrowingThe Harrowing is a very problematic card to deal with. Additionally, GwenGwen, especially when paired with Noxus, can bring lots of efficient removal to threaten EzrealEzreal and SeraphineSeraphine while not majorly detracting from their game plan. 

That being said, this matchup is very winnable. It’s important to never let KatarinaKatarina level; GwenGwen and Eternal DancersEternal Dancers should most likely be killed on sight as well. This is a matchup where Nexus health needs to be used wisely as a resource: Gwen Kat’s reach is usually very limited when not attacking, so be aware of how low it is safe for your Nexus health to go. 

It’s important to take these chunks of Nexus damage in the early or mid game, in order to more efficiently spend mana and cards later to try and transition into the beatdown role before the opponent can get a good The HarrowingThe Harrowing off.


SejuaniSejuani RenektonRenekton (Slightly Favored)

Key Cards: DisintegrateDisintegrate (by far the most important), Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, The Violent DischordThe Violent Dischord, Fanclub PresidentFanclub President, and Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry 

Way back in the day, Shurima Overwhelm was a very difficult matchup for the PZPiltover & Zaun Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock deck; however, now with DisintegrateDisintegrate in our arsenal, we can answer open attacks, and therefore this matchup is solid for Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) (although it might become slightly unfavored if they tech in Rite of NegationRite of Negation).

The match is rather straightforward. Keep removing their threats, like SejuaniSejuani and Ruin RunnerRuin Runner, until it's time to transition into the aggressor. Take advantage of the fact that the only way they can interact with our Champions is through Vulnerable from Sejuani and Merciless HunterMerciless Hunter.

Some other Important tips for the Overwhelm matchup: 

  • Make sure to save DisintegrateDisintegrate to stop Battle FuryBattle Fury open attacks.
  • Make sure to save a triggered The Violent DischordThe Violent Dischord to pop Ruin Runner's SpellShield and damage the unit.
  • Fanclub PresidentFanclub President can find a lot of very powerful outs in this matchup: Harsh WindsHarsh Winds, Moonlight AfflictionMoonlight Affliction, Celestial WonderCelestial Wonder, and Unworthy SoulUnworthy Soul are all incredible hits that can stall a Round.

Akshan Lee Sin (Favored)

Key Cards: DisintegrateDisintegrate, Mystic ShotMystic Shot, and Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2)

In the past Lee SinLee Sin decks have proved very difficult for the PZPiltover & Zaun Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock deck – with the addition of Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2), though, now we have the ability to pump out enough spells to get around counter-spells like DenyDeny and Nopeify!Nopeify!, as well as any SpellShield from Shield of the SentinelsShield of the Sentinels.

Ideally, we'll never have to deal with Lee SinLee Sin in this matchup. Try to remove Vastayan DiscipleVastayan Disciple and AkshanAkshan as soon as they enter play, slowing down their Lee game plan – from there, aim to level EzrealEzreal and SeraphineSeraphine and win before the opponent can present a lethal attack with their leveled-up Lee.

Most games won’t go this well, and that is why Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2) is so important. She can, rather reliably, win a fight when trying to remove Lee SinLee Sin – even if she doesn’t survive this fight, she will force the opponent to spend enough mana to defend their Lee that they will no longer threaten lethal this round. Try to use this extra round to set up your lethal in retaliation.


VarusVarus Decks (Favored)

Key Cards: Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, DisintegrateDisintegrate, and Arachnoid SentryArachnoid Sentry 

VarusVarus decks tend to go all-in on one or two key units, making the matchup rather easy: just direct DisintegrateDisintegrates and Ravenous FlockRavenous Flocks at these targets. Be careful of counterspells like The Expanse's Protection or Rite of NegationRite of Negation when trying to remove these threats. 

Varus decks don’t have a lot of ways to kill EzrealEzreal or SeraphineSeraphine – they will try to remove them with Vulnerables and Furious WielderFurious Wielder if they have them in hand.


Annie Jhin (Slightly Favored)

Key Cards: SeraphineSeraphine, Statikk ShockStatikk Shock, Blade's Edge, Thermogenic BeamThermogenic Beam, and Mystic ShotMystic Shot

This matchup is all about stabilizing against Annie Jhin's early aggression. This is very important since, remember, “control deck, no heal.” If the game gets stabilized, we should easily transition into aggression. Keeping our Nexus health high is especially important in this match to avoid randomly dying to burn while attempting to swap roles.

Cheap removal spells and two-cost units are extremely important in this matchup to handle the opposing swarm of early units. This is a matchup I’m very happy to play SeraphineSeraphine early and use her as a blocker.

Make sure to develop units and spend mana in a smart way to play around their stun followers like The StagehandThe Stagehand and Solari SunhawkSolari Sunhawk. If the opponent ever plays JhinJhin, he should be removed on sight.


SwainSwain Decks (Very Favored)

Key Cards: Back Alley BarBack Alley Bar, Fanclub PresidentFanclub President, Mystic ShotMystic Shot, and DisintegrateDisintegrate.

SwainSwain decks have a hard time keeping up with EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine, because at the end of the day, Ez Seraphine is the more powerful Noxus Control deck. This means the Swain player will often be the aggressor, so be wary of Nexus health. 

Since both players are playing with Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock and DisintegrateDisintegrate, win conditions tend to not be able to stick for more than a few actions. Take advantage of this fact with Ezreal (level 2)Ezreal (level 2) and Seraphine (level 2)Seraphine (level 2)’s ability to get value on the spell stack, whereas Swain (level 2)Swain (level 2)’s value on the spell stack is very limited in comparison.


Closing Thoughts

I hope you found this early deep dive useful!

I think EzrealEzreal SeraphineSeraphine is one of the most powerful ways to play with the new cards, if you can pilot the deck to its full potential. The deck benefits greatly at the current moment from bullying non-JaxJax VayneVayne decks, and even if the meta trends away from Vayne, I think Ez Seraphine will hold up as a strong deck, as it only has significant struggles against decks that intend to abuse Equipment.

If you enjoyed old control-style NXNoxus PZPiltover & Zaun decks, like Tri-beam ImprobulatorTri-beam Improbulator or AnnieAnnie EzrealEzreal, or if you enjoyed KarmaKarma Ez back in the day, I think this is a deck you should be playing. It’s also a very challenging and powerful deck if you are just looking to improve or climb.

Thank you for taking the time to read this deck guide. If you have any questions about the deck or suggestions, feel free to reach out over Twitter (https://twitter.com/CardGamerLoR) or Discord (Card Gamer #6777).