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Monday Meta Report 

Are you looking for the best decks in this new meta? Leer takes a deep dive into the data to show you what decks you should play and those you should prepare to face!

Hey, welcome to this week’s meta report! As usual, we see crazy shifts in play- and winrate in the second week after the patch, as the meta is slowly getting established.

The Data

Sorting Balco’s Meta Tier List by playrate (PR), we see the following:

Sun Disc remains to be the most played archetype with a 12.7% PR, halving its previous number!

Riven Viktor (Augmented Blades) gives our Shuriman dictators a run for their money, sporting an impressive 9.26% PR.

Ezreal Caitlyn (Tri-Beam) comes in third with a solid 5.84% PR.

After those decks, we see Ramp Asol, Fizz Lulu, and Aphelios Viktor (Moon Augments)  all hover around a 3% PR!

Turning to winrates (WR), we get this result:

There are an unprecedented amount of decks above the 53% WR mark, incredible!

Fizz Lulu and Miss Fortune Quinn (Scouts) share first place with a 55.4% WR.

Two very different archetypes, Augmented Blades and Akshan Sivir, have a very close WR of 54.8% and 54.6%. Pantheon Yuumi DE (PhDE) is the third and last deck with a 54% WR.

After that follows a litter of cats archetypes with a 53% WR: Taliyah Ziggs, Lee Sin Viktor, Moon Augments, Darius Gnar (Gnarius), and Trundle Tryndamere (FTR).


The Reasons

I suggest you don’t look at the change in WR. Looking at the change in PR, we see that quite a lot changed this week, as is usual for the first weeks after a patch – madness.

Yordles in Arms Fizz Lulu

Fizz Lulu has been performing incredibly well before the patch, in the first week after the patch, and is continuing to do so. Everyone and their mom is crying about Yordles in Arms Yordles in Arms . But if we look at the WR chart, there’s only a single deck using it.

Fizz Lulu is pretty much synonymous with Yordles in Arms Yordles in Arms , it even wears the card’s name as a nickname. Is YiA busted, or Fizz Lulu?

Since they share an almost identical matchup table as Augmented Blades (maybe bring them together to Gauntlet? =), let’s look at both their matchup tables together:

Remember the Sun Disc barrier we talked about last week, that every deck with a convincing winrate has to beat said deck? Augmented Blades and Fizz Lulu do exactly that!

They also beat Ramp Asol and pretty much any other meta deck not seen here. The exceptions are Tri-Beam and Moon Augments, two archetypes focusing on removal spells from PZ. 

Viktor Riven

Especially Augmented Blades (this nickname is really too long… let’s shorten it to ABs =) struggles against Tri-Beam as it relies on ViktorViktor or a Blade of the ExileBlade of the Exile-buffed ally – a single big unit – to deal a big blow. Since the buffs to said unit are slow speed, Tri-Beam can set up a Scorched EarthScorched Earth and Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, or play a four-damage Tri-beam ImprobulatorTri-beam Improbulator.

What gives Fizz Lulu the advantage is its superior winrate versus ABs. The first is usually a little faster and can close out the game just before the latter is able to burn them down. LuluLulu’s buff of a Flame Chompers!Flame Chompers! to a 4|4 is also pretty crushing against both champs of RivenRiven and ViktorViktor.

Let’s look at the two best-performing Demacia decks together, Akshan Sivir and Scouts:

What sticks out immediately is the negative WR of Akshan Sivir against Sun Disc. We mentioned the Sun Disc barrier, but with Mono Shurima halving its PR, Akshan Sivir has a convincing argument – ABs (no pun intended =)

They have a 61% WR against the second most played deck of the meta, effectively nullifying their weakness versus Sun Disc.

Miss Fortune Quinn Sivir

What sticks out after that is both Scouts’ and Akshan Sivir’s slight weakness against Tri-Beam and Fizz Lulu. 

Scouts struggles a bit more against Tri-Beam’s removal, as Scouts relies on their units to stay on board and get AoE buffed. 

Akshan Sivir is troubled a little more by Fizz Lulu, as they have many chump blockers and LuluLulu + Flame Chompers!Flame Chompers! to deal with their champions.

Ezreal Caitlyn

With all these high WR decks being weak into Tri-Beam, you might ask why they aren’t in the WR top cut. Let’s investigate their matchup table:

We can see that the archetype struggles against Sun Disc and Ramp Asol, two heavy control decks that don’t rely on smaller units to finish the game quickly. If the foe doesn’t play any units, how can Tri-Beam remove them? Minds blown =)

Especially with Sun Disc and Ramp Asol having subpar winrates, suggesting an upcoming decline in their playrates, Tri-Beam might be the deck to look out for in the coming weeks!

Since this section is already getting a little long and I don’t want to bore you with endless details, let’s quickly mention two significant decks:

Pantheon Yuumi

PhDE is pretty much doing the exact same as Akshan Sivir, with two differences – PhDE is favored against Sun Disc, but unfavored into Fizz Lulu. The first struggles versus PhDE’s Overwhelm buffs (keep Zenith BladeZenith Blade in the Mulligan!), while the latter can out-number PhDE on the board and aggro them down.

PhDE is my current choice of Weapon and I managed to climb 200LP with it this week! =)

Viktor Lee Sin

Viktor Lee Sin is a deck you might not have encountered on the ladder at all. I know that since I haven’t.

The archetype appears to be working well in the current meta – only ABs being a problem. If you ask me, this matchup table is a pretty persuasive reason to try it out on the ladder right now!

Since I don’t have experience with the archetype myself, I can’t comment much on the reasons. I will mention that Sirturmund, a fellow MaRu writer, has reached top ten with Lee Vik on the ladder and is releasing a free guide in the coming days. If you don’t wanna wait, you could check out his video on the archetype (link) right now. =)


Honorable Mentions

Can I mention Lee Sin Viktor again? No?! Well, let’s move on then…

Fizz Aphelios 

Regions
Mount Targon
9 cards
Bandlecity
30 cards
Rarities
25 200
champion
6
epic
1
rare
14
common
18
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
11
1
19
2
6
3
2
4
0
5
1
6
0
7+
Champions
6
1
Fizz
3
Fizz
3
Aphelios
3
Aphelios
Followers
18
1
Yordle Squire
2
Yordle Squire
2
Assistant Librarian
3
Assistant Librarian
2
Bandle Commando
1
Bandle Commando
2
Conchologist
3
Conchologist
2
Grandfather Fae
3
Grandfather Fae
3
Gleaming Lantern
3
Gleaming Lantern
4
Rainbowfish
2
Rainbowfish
6
Papercraft Dragon
1
Papercraft Dragon
Spells
15
1
Fae Sprout
3
Fae Sprout
1
Group Shot
1
Group Shot
1
Trinket Trade
2
Trinket Trade
2
Guiding Touch
3
Guiding Touch
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
2
Pokey Stick
3
Pokey Stick

I mentioned this one last week and I will mention it again. Fizz Aphel is going strong on the ladder, sporting a 56.5% WR over the past two days. Be aware that this archetype has the reputation of being incredibly difficult to pilot though! 

MonteXristo just released a free deck guide on Fizz Aphelios (link), so be sure to check that out if you wanna try the deck!

Gnar Ziggs / Miss Fortune Gangplank

Regions
Noxus
19 cards
Bandlecity
21 cards
Rarities
23 700
champion
6
epic
1
rare
6
common
27
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
9
1
15
2
6
3
6
4
0
5
3
6
1
7+
Champions
6
3
Ziggs
3
Ziggs
4
Gnar
3
Gnar
Followers
25
1
Inventive Chemist
3
Inventive Chemist
1
Legion Rearguard
3
Legion Rearguard
1
Legion Saboteur
3
Legion Saboteur
2
Conchologist
3
Conchologist
2
Imperial Demolitionist
3
Imperial Demolitionist
2
Legion Grenadier
3
Legion Grenadier
2
Stone Stackers
3
Stone Stackers
4
Teenydactyl
3
Teenydactyl
8
Captain Farron
1
Captain Farron
Spells
9
2
Pokey Stick
3
Pokey Stick
3
Noxian Fervor
3
Noxian Fervor
6
Decimate
3
Decimate

Everyone knows this one, though few love it. Aggro seems to have the recurring theme of being the underdog this season. With Sun Disc and Demacia running rampant on the ladder though, aggro is the perfect tool for countering the meta.

If explosive dinosaurs are not your cup of tea, bloodthirsty pirates might be! 

Regions
Noxus
21 cards
Bilgewater
19 cards
Rarities
25 900
champion
6
epic
3
rare
6
common
25
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
14
1
8
2
6
3
3
4
6
5
3
6
0
7+
Champions
6
3
Miss Fortune
3
Miss Fortune
5
Gangplank
3
Gangplank
Followers
23
1
Crackshot Corsair
2
Crackshot Corsair
1
Jagged Butcher
3
Jagged Butcher
1
Legion Rearguard
3
Legion Rearguard
1
Legion Saboteur
3
Legion Saboteur
1
Precious Pet
3
Precious Pet
2
Imperial Demolitionist
3
Imperial Demolitionist
2
Legion Grenadier
3
Legion Grenadier
4
Zap Sprayfin
3
Zap Sprayfin
Spells
11
2
Make it Rain
2
Make it Rain
3
Noxian Fervor
3
Noxian Fervor
5
Double Up
3
Double Up
6
Decimate
3
Decimate

Both decks have a 60+%WR over the past two days, mind the small sample size. What are still doing here reading these words, if you could be tilting your opponents with a DecimateDecimate top deck instead? =)

Vi Viktor

Regions
Piltover & Zaun
39 cards
Shadow Isles
1 cards
Rarities
24 100
champion
6
epic
1
rare
8
common
25
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
6
1
14
2
7
3
8
4
4
5
0
6
1
7+
Champions
6
4
Viktor
3
Viktor
5
Vi
3
Vi
Followers
18
1
Zaunite Urchin
3
Zaunite Urchin
2
Ballistic Bot
3
Ballistic Bot
2
Boom Baboon
3
Boom Baboon
2
Ferros Financier
3
Ferros Financier
3
Station Archivist
2
Station Archivist
4
Sumpsnipe Scavenger
3
Sumpsnipe Scavenger
5
Subpurrsible
1
Subpurrsible
Spells
16
1
Poro Cannon
3
Poro Cannon
2
Iterative Improvement
2
Iterative Improvement
2
Mystic Shot
3
Mystic Shot
3
Ambush
3
Ambush
3
Sump Fumes
2
Sump Fumes
4
Statikk Shock
2
Statikk Shock
7
Atrocity
1
Atrocity

Vi Viktor has been a silent powerhouse since the beginning of the patch. It’s a sort of Tri-Beam 2.0 as it has similar strengths to that archetype but a favored matchup into Sun Disc as well thanks to ViVi and AtrocityAtrocity.

Vi Viktor’s biggest weakness though seems to be the uprising Demacia decks, so there has been a new version running Ionia instead of Shadow Isles as the second region:

Regions
Ionia
22 cards
Piltover & Zaun
18 cards
Rarities
27 300
champion
6
epic
3
rare
13
common
18
eternal
Mana cost
2
0
1
1
13
2
5
3
10
4
7
5
2
6
0
7+
Champions
6
4
Viktor
3
Viktor
5
Vi
3
Vi
Followers
10
2
Ballistic Bot
3
Ballistic Bot
2
Eye of the Dragon
3
Eye of the Dragon
3
Shadow Assassin
2
Shadow Assassin
5
Scattered Pod
2
Scattered Pod
Spells
24
0
Thermogenic Beam
2
Thermogenic Beam
1
Health Potion
1
Health Potion
2
Iterative Improvement
1
Iterative Improvement
2
Mystic Shot
3
Mystic Shot
2
Twin Disciplines
3
Twin Disciplines
3
Ambush
1
Ambush
3
Sump Fumes
2
Sump Fumes
4
Concussive Palm
3
Concussive Palm
4
Deny
2
Deny
4
Will of Ionia
2
Will of Ionia
5
Deep Meditation
2
Deep Meditation
6
Dawn and Dusk
2
Dawn and Dusk

Again, these decks have seen little play, so 1. the sample size is low and thus the WR data, and 2. the high WR might be due to players not knowing how to play against Vi Viktor. 

This being said, the SI variant maintained a 54% WR over the past two days, while the Ionian one reached a breath-taking 57% WR!

Conclusion

With this, we conclude this week’s meta report. If you’ve made it this far, leave a “Hi” in the Reddit comments! =)


The data has been due to the amazing website by Balco while the matchup tables have been from Legna’s brilliant homepage. They are doing an insane job at collecting all this data and presenting it to us in an approachable manner. They deserve all the praise in the world!

Thanks also go to Hydroflare and Gregory The Grey, they have been doing lots of editing and proofreading that deserves appreciation!!