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New Kayle Decks to Try on Day One

For his first MaRu article, Seasonal Champion 4LW shares new Kayle decks to try on Patch Day!

Note: This is an older article.
For the most recent data, check the latest LoR Best Decks article, or our Meta Tier List!

What’s up, beautiful people? This is 4LW on my very first write-up for Mastering Runeterra, starting off with my favorite aspect of Legends of Runeterra: deckbuilding and theorycrafting. I’ve played many LoR tournaments to great success right after a major expansion arrived, and I also hold the world record for the fastest climb to Masters in a new LoR season, so I hope I will bring some quality today.

So, with intros out of the way, let’s get to the point. We’re tackling a brand new champion today: KayleKayle

Kayle Kayle (level 2)

Kayle – Mechanics and Overview

KayleKayle is a six-mana champion from MTTargon. Her gameplay analysis can be split into two parts:

  • First, she interacts well with wide boards, buffing all other units for +1/+0 when she comes down to the board – an effect similar to the one from Keeper of MasksKeeper of Masks, with the additional upside of not only Giving, but Granting (that's to say, permanently) said buff to allies. 
  • Secondly, she is a heavy hitter by herself. When included in a proper deck shell, she’ll likely gain a bunch of Power buffs and, while at Level 1, will also have Quick Attack if she meets the condition of her new vocab, Empowered.

KayleKayle will level up if she has eleven Power at Round Start – her level-up condition is a bit harsh at first glance (since she comes with two only base Power) but it makes sense when you see how powerful Kayle (level 2)Kayle (level 2) is. 

Kayle (level 2)

When leveled, Kayle gets Overwhelm, one of the best (if not the best) keywords. And, combined with a lot of Power, she can also get Double Attack if the Empowered condition is met, making her a lethal attacker.

It needs to be said that Kayle asks for a dedicated deck to function properly: we want to buff her Power to both meet the Empowered condition and level her up. There is a variety of ways to accomplish that, and we’ll go through some of these while we talk about five decks featuring her that I brewed myself.


Kayle – Decks and Strategies

Kayle Elusives PZPiltover & Zaun

Our first deck is a re-reading of Zoe Android, an old archetype that had game-breaking power plays, but that was also lacking here and there. Kayle’s package is a tremendous addition to what a Targon P&Z Elusive deck tries to achieve, most likely providing much-needed consistency to the archetype.

Regions
Piltover & Zaun
13 cards
Mount Targon
27 cards
Rarities
32 800
champion
6
epic
10
rare
2
common
22
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
9
1
15
2
5
3
4
4
3
5
0
6
4
7+
Champions
6
1
Zoe
3
Zoe
5
Kayle
3
Kayle
Equipments
4
2
The Darkin Lodestone
3
The Darkin Lodestone
4
Draconic Bands
1
Draconic Bands
Followers
16
1
Acorn, the Hextechnician
3
Acorn, the Hextechnician
2
Esmus, Breath of the World
3
Esmus, Breath of the World
2
Lunari Cultist
3
Lunari Cultist
3
Nyandroid
2
Nyandroid
3
Wandering Shepherd
1
Wandering Shepherd
3
Winged Messenger
2
Winged Messenger
7
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
2
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
Spells
14
1
Poro Cannon
3
Poro Cannon
2
Mystic Shot
3
Mystic Shot
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
4
Purifying Flames
3
Purifying Flames
10
Glorious Evolution
2
Glorious Evolution

Our main game plan here is simple: cheese the opponent with Elusive units. The list runs thirteen Elusives (two of them being the new Kayle follower Winged MessengerWinged Messenger), plus three copies of Poro CannonPoro Cannon and a lot of buff mechanics, like the new Purifying FlamesPurifying Flames.

Kayle can both benefit from our main game plan (since we are running a lot of buffs to use on Elusive units, hence progressing her level up) and help us achieve it: our units are cheap, making it easy to have a wide board, and thus having more units that Kayle can buff with her summon effect.

If we can’t close out the game fast enough with cheap, buffed Elusives, we can turn to heavy finishers like Kayle, Glorious EvolutionGlorious Evolution, and my personal favorite card in this package, Xolaani the BloodweaverXolaani the Bloodweaver.

Xolaani the Bloodweaver

In a proper shell, Xolaani the BloodweaverXolaani the Bloodweaver is like They Who EndureThey Who Endure on steroids. With our deck, we are either killing our opponent with buffed Elusive units, or our opponent is killing said Elusives and therefore growing Xolaani and giving us a stronger finisher.


Kayle Leona Demacia

Our second deck fits Kayle in a classic midrange archetype: Daybreak. Daybreak got massively improved on its last rework, and since then has claimed its place in the LoR meta.

Regions
Demacia
11 cards
Mount Targon
29 cards
Rarities
33 100
champion
6
epic
9
rare
9
common
16
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
3
1
17
2
3
3
0
4
14
5
0
6
3
7+
Champions
6
5
Kayle
3
Kayle
5
Leona
3
Leona
Equipments
3
2
The Darkin Aegis
3
The Darkin Aegis
Followers
17
1
Solari Soldier
3
Solari Soldier
2
Solari Shieldbearer
3
Solari Shieldbearer
2
Solari Sunhawk
2
Solari Sunhawk
2
Twilit Protector
3
Twilit Protector
3
Sun Guardian
3
Sun Guardian
5
Rahvun, Daylight's Spear
3
Rahvun, Daylight's Spear
Spells
14
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
2
Single Combat
3
Single Combat
5
Concerted Strike
2
Concerted Strike
5
Sunburst
3
Sunburst
9
Champions' Strength
3
Champions' Strength

There is currently no obvious champion companion for LeonaLeona. People often use DianaDiana or ApheliosAphelios, but I think Kayle is a very respectable option, too. She synergizes with Solari SoldierSolari Soldier, Twilit ProtectorTwilit Protector and Sun GuardianSun Guardian. And, due to their stats-oriented units and game plan, Daybreak decks usually have a wide board at mid and late game, thus being able to take proper advantage of Kayle’s summon effect.

We are using Demacia as a splash region mainly because of Single CombatSingle Combat, a very effective removal for Daybreak decks, and the new eight-mana Demacian spell, Champions’ Strength.

Champions

Champions' StrengthChampions is a major addition to Demacia. It does a lot of powerful things for just one card, making it a very strong finisher. It will most likely find a lot of homes, and Daybreak can easily be one of them since, as mentioned, the archetype has an easy time filling the board.

Daybreak can usually play the long game without falling behind, so in our deck (and unlike the Elusives deck we saw previously) we will often have the time and opportunity to level up Kayle, thus getting access to another win condition.


Kayle Illaoi

As a third deck, we have BWBilgewater Kayle, pairing her with IllaoiIllaoi

Regions
Mount Targon
15 cards
Bilgewater
25 cards
Rarities
26 600
champion
6
epic
2
rare
15
common
17
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
3
1
16
2
6
3
5
4
8
5
0
6
2
7+
Champions
6
4
Illaoi
3
Illaoi
5
Kayle
3
Kayle
Equipments
3
2
Eye of God
3
Eye of God
Followers
13
1
Watchful Idol
3
Watchful Idol
2
Hired Gun
2
Hired Gun
2
Lunari Cultist
3
Lunari Cultist
3
The Sea's Voice
3
The Sea's Voice
7
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
2
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
Spells
18
2
Answered Prayer
3
Answered Prayer
2
Heavy Metal
2
Heavy Metal
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
3
Tentacle Smash
3
Tentacle Smash
4
The Expanse's Protection
2
The Expanse's Protection
5
Eye of Nagakabouros
3
Eye of Nagakabouros
5
Sunburst
2
Sunburst

The combination revolves around TentacleTentacles: we have plenty of Spawn mechanics, including the new Eye of GodEye of God, making it easy to have a buffed unit.

Eye of God

This deck plays like regular midrange. It tries to take control of the board with light removal, and at the same time tries to put pressure as soon as possible. Kayle comes down as our top end, along with Xolaani, to give us an edge when the opponent deals with our Tentacles.


Kayle Bard

Next one is Kayle paired up with BardBard.

Regions
Runeterra
9 cards
Mount Targon
31 cards
Rarities
30 500
champion
6
epic
7
rare
7
common
20
eternal
standard
Mana cost
0
0
5
1
12
2
4
3
8
4
8
5
1
6
2
7+
Champions
6
4
Bard
3
Bard
5
Kayle
3
Kayle
Equipments
4
2
The Darkin Lodestone
3
The Darkin Lodestone
4
Draconic Bands
1
Draconic Bands
Followers
22
1
Byrd, The Bellringer
3
Byrd, The Bellringer
1
Divine Clerk
2
Divine Clerk
2
Esmus, Breath of the World
3
Esmus, Breath of the World
2
Lunari Cultist
3
Lunari Cultist
3
Wandering Shepherd
2
Wandering Shepherd
3
Winged Messenger
2
Winged Messenger
4
Seraphic Wyvern
2
Seraphic Wyvern
5
Mihira, Aspect of Justice
2
Mihira, Aspect of Justice
6
Lawkeeper
1
Lawkeeper
7
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
2
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
Spells
8
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
4
Purifying Flames
2
Purifying Flames
5
Sunburst
3
Sunburst

Bard is having a hard time reclaiming his place in the meta since his nerf, but Kayle's package could be everything Bard wanted, as we have plenty of new cards that benefit from stats due to their Empowered keyword. This is the first build where we are using the new cards Divine ClerkDivine Clerk, Seraphic WyvernSeraphic Wyvern, LawkeeperLawkeeper and Mihira, Aspect of JusticeMihira, Aspect of Justice.

Mihira, Aspect of Justice

This build is very experimental and we need to check which one of these units are worthy of making the final cut, but at first glance all of them look good enough when paired with a bunch of Chimes. 

Kayle will very naturally level up in this deck, giving us access to a strong (and very buffed!) finisher.


Kayle Gwen

Our last deck combines Kayle and GwenGwen, two champions that want to see lots of buffs. Gwen’s main mechanic, Hallowed, interacts just fine with Kayle, as both Hallowed and Kayle ask us to attack in order to get a bonus.

Regions
Shadow Isles
23 cards
Mount Targon
17 cards
Rarities
27 700
champion
6
epic
3
rare
15
common
16
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
10
1
16
2
4
3
3
4
3
5
0
6
4
7+
Champions
6
4
Gwen
3
Gwen
5
Kayle
3
Kayle
Landmarks
1
3
Opulent Foyer
1
Opulent Foyer
Followers
20
1
Boisterous Host
3
Boisterous Host
1
The Flight
3
The Flight
2
Lunari Shadestalker
3
Lunari Shadestalker
2
Phantom Butler
3
Phantom Butler
2
Redeemed Prodigy
3
Redeemed Prodigy
3
Winged Messenger
3
Winged Messenger
7
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
2
Xolaani the Bloodweaver
Spells
13
1
Quietus
3
Quietus
1
Shadow Isles Tellstones
1
Shadow Isles Tellstones
2
Glimpse Beyond
1
Glimpse Beyond
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
2
Vile Feast
3
Vile Feast
7
Atrocity
2
Atrocity

Like the Kayle Elusives deck presented first, Kayle Gwen can also exploit the Elusive keyword, which is certainly very strong when combined with Hallowed. Our stacked Hallowed buff, in turn, will tend to grow rapidly, given the number of Hallowed units we are running, including the new Redeemed ProdigyRedeemed Prodigy.

Redeemed Prodigy

This deck doesn’t lack finishers, as we run three Gwen copies, three Kayle, two Xolaani, and two AtrocityAtrocity copies, all of them taking great advantage of our Power buffs.


Closing Words

These are our showcased Kayle decks for today!

As noted, she can fit aggressive and midrange decks, and probably some heavy-combo decks, too. The ability to buff units is, at this point, very widespread within the game, making it possible to pair up Kayle with pretty much every region.

Looking for even more decks today? Then check:
GeneralSchwartz's ten Ryze decks, one for every region,
Yangzera's five Aatrox decks,
Shadawx's seven World Ender decks combining old champs with new cards.

In my pre-release opinion, the devs were a bit heavy-handed in terms of balancing Kayle’s release version. She seems expensive for what she does or, alternatively, not impactful enough for her cost. It seems to me that she could make great use of one of these changes: provide a +1/+1 buff on summon (instead of +1/+0); increase her base Power; an easier level-up condition; or an additional and more relevant keyword on Level 1. Either way, her package has many great cards that can help her get to work.

I’m excited to try her out as soon as the World Ender expansion reaches Runeterra. In the first days I will be experimenting a lot and polishing decks, so keep an eye on my Twitter, my r.ar profile and to the Mastering Runeterra deck collection, where I’ll post new decks constantly.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon!