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Mastering LoR: Tempo and Archetypes

In this classic article, Jasensational introduces one of the fundamental concepts of card games: Tempo, and how different archetypes approach it.

Editor's Note: This is a repost from an article Jasensational wrote last year but is just as relevant today. We are reposting the series to let viewers that haven't seen it before be able to read it and because we've updated how we post so the old posts no longer display properly. Hope you enjoy!

Hey everyone, Jasensational here. This article will be the pilot of a six-part series geared towards newer players to teach them about the basic fundamentals of Legends of RuneTerra (and card games in general). Each article is aimed to build on each other and teach you how to think deeper behind your plays and how you pilot the game.

In this first article, we will start with one of the most important concepts: Tempo. Then we’ll dive into the different deck archetypes and how they use Tempo differently.


What is Tempo?

Like the conductor of the orchestra controlling the flow and speed of the music, Tempo in Legends of Runeterra dictates the flow of the match. Tempo is everything; it decides who is winning, who has a chance to come back into the game, and who gets blown out in a trade.

If you are unfamiliar with Tempo, you can think of it as a combination of the number of units and stats that you have on the side of the board. Tempo can be static, looking at the board in a point of time, and it can be continuous, looking at the overall development for the next few turns. You may have picked up on some lingo like, “I’m getting out-tempoed” or “that is a very low-tempo play”. Because of the way Legends of RuneTerra is balanced, with strong units, efficient combat tricks, and generally lacking removal, it is extremely important to get a good understanding of Tempo and how to use it effectively. Every deck regardless of aggro or control will need to play for Tempo at some point.


How do you gain Tempo?

Even though Tempo boils down to how many units and stats you have on the board, there are a variety of different ways to gain Tempo than simply playing down units. You can also gain Tempo by value trading, using spells to remove units, and passing to burn your opponent’s mana. Let’s break them down.


Playing units

When playing units, there are two aspects to understand about Tempo. The first is the stats for mana. Not all units are created equal in the eyes of Tempo. Let’s take a look at two different three drops ZiggsZiggs and Solari PriestessSolari Priestess. ZiggsZiggs has one of the best stat lines for three cost, coming in at a beefy 3/4 while Solari PriestessSolari Priestess is only a 2/2. If you play ZiggsZiggs on turn three while your opponent plays a Solari PriestessSolari Priestess, then you developed more Tempo that turn.

Solari Priestess vs Ziggs

The second aspect is curving out. The concept of curving out means playing down units every turn to spend your mana efficiently. It could look like playing a 1-drop, 2-drop, into a 3-drop, or a 1-drop into two 1-drops, etc. Now curving out is typically a strategy for decks that do not rely on spell mana in early turns and want to generate a lot of Tempo to deal early damage to the opponent. If you are able to curve out and your opponent can not, then the early Tempo can snowball into a heavy advantage later on.


Value Trading/Using Combat Tricks

With the emphasis on board-based combat, another good way to gain a Tempo advantage is by value trading. This can either be done through the use of challengers like Laurent ProtegeLaurent Protege to often gain two for one trades. Another way is to use units with quick attack, such as SivirSivir or DravenDraven to force unfavorable blocks in an effort to not take too much damage. This strategy can also be used in conjunction with vulnerable granting units as well like Merciless HunterMerciless Hunter, Hired GunHired Gun, or Rock HopperRock Hopper to target key units or maximize a value trade. In a hypothetical situation, if both players’ decks consisted of 40 units each, being able to trade one unit for two of your opponents is a Tempo positive exchange.

Even in combat, it doesn’t stop there. There are a plethora of combat tricks to buff your units or debuff enemy units to gain a favorable trade. Cards like SharpsightSharpsight or Troll ChantTroll Chant can often dictate how trading will go and swing Tempo to the victor.

Sharpsight Troll Chant

The idea of value trading, either through quick attack, stat advantages, or combat tricks, is to maintain your Tempo while decreasing your opponent’s Tempo at the same time. Once you have a Tempo lead on your opponent, it can be hard to come back from that situation.


Spells and Interaction

Outside of the board, there are still many ways to swing Tempo, such as using spells to remove the opponent’s units off the board. If your opponent plays a unit every turn, and you play a spell every turn to remove the said unit, then the opponent can not gain a Tempo advantage. In most cases, spells are usually pretty Tempo neutral. If you Mystic ShotMystic Shot a 2-drop and Get Excited!Get Excited! a 3-drop, then you are trading pretty evenly. But there are some incredibly powerful and efficient spells that can trade up in mana to allow you to develop in addition.

Some good examples of this are Culling StrikeCulling Strike or Will of IoniaWill of Ionia. If my opponent spends five mana to play ThreshThresh, and I play Culling StrikeCulling Strike in response, I’m only spending three mana to deal with his play. If this is three spell mana, then I still have at least five mana to play units and gain a considerable Tempo advantage for that turn. Similarly Will of IoniaWill of Ionia can do the same, but with more flexibility for bigger units. It can be very advantageous to Will of IoniaWill of Ionia a NautilusNautilus or Aurelion SolAurelion Sol, netting you even bigger mana advantages on a turn. That’s why a card like Tri-beam ImprobulatorTri-beam Improbulator is really good. It not only removes an opponent’s unit but also generates one on your side of the board, which can be a massive tempo swing, often netting you the result of 10+ mana for just five.

Tri-beam Improbulator

In other cases, you can punish your opponent for overdeveloping into a board clear such as AvalancheAvalanche or The RuinationThe Ruination, which will likely net you mana depending on how much mana your opponent spent to develop their board.


Passing and Burning Mana

This last concept of Tempo is the most conceptual and hardest to grasp of the four. We’ll cover this in length in a separate article down the line, but I want to include it here, just so that you are aware. Passing is something that doesn’t come right away to newer players, but it is one of the most powerful mechanics in Legends of RuneTerra.

Deny Concerted Strike

If we think of Tempo as units on board, then we can think of mana as potential Tempo. In most cases, both players have mana that they want to spend, whether it be on units or combat tricks/interaction. If they don’t spend all their mana, or can’t bank all of it into spell mana, then they will “burn” the wasted mana. Have you ever been in a spot where you held up four mana for a DenyDeny or five mana for a Concerted StrikeConcerted Strike and your opponent couldn’t play what they wanted to and had to burn their mana or make an awkward play?

 If one player is efficient with their mana, not burning any of it, while the other player has a hard time spending theirs, then the efficient player already has an advantage. Again, this is a hard concept to wrap your head around, and a much harder one to execute in a game, but we will save this topic for a later article.


Archetypes 101

Now that we have a basic understanding of Tempo, let's put it into practice. With many different ways of gaining Tempo, not all decks will play towards the same strategies - all the best LoR decks, be it for ladder or Tournaments & Gauntlets, need a good grasp of Tempo, but they don't all apply it equally. When playing any deck, it's important to identify which strategy is the right one for your deck. That’s why it is important to group the decks together into archetypes. This will make it easier to identify which strategy is the right one for the deck and will make it easier when picking up new decks to be able to play them correctly. 

For simplicity, we’ll have three different archetype groups that we will look at. Most decks will fall under one of these groups being: Aggro/Burn, Tempo/Midrange, and Combo/Control. While we compare the different strategies these decks use, we can take a look at how the decks are constructed to match their playstyles as well. Note that this is not a one-size-fits-all, as some decks may share strategies with different archetypes, but this will serve as a good guideline.


Aggro/Burn
Regions
Noxus
15 cards
Bandlecity
25 cards
Rarities
26 700
champion
6
epic
3
rare
10
common
21
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
9
1
12
2
9
3
5
4
0
5
3
6
2
7+
Champions
6
3
Ziggs
3
Ziggs
4
Poppy
3
Poppy
Followers
23
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
Stone Stackers
3
Stone Stackers
3
Bandle City Mayor
3
Bandle City Mayor
4
Lecturing Yordle
2
Lecturing Yordle
Spells
11
2
Pokey Stick
3
Pokey Stick
3
Noxian Fervor
3
Noxian Fervor
6
Decimate
3
Decimate
10
Treasured Trash
2
Treasured Trash

PoppyPoppy ZiggsZiggs has been the poster child of Aggro/Burn oriented strategies for a patch and a bit. This archetype relies on developing aggressively in early turns, getting chip damage through having a wider board than the opponent, and ending the game with burn such as Noxian FervorNoxian Fervor and DecimateDecimate.

You’ll notice that the curve of this deck is very low, with many 1-drops and 2-drops. Because the plan is to out-tempo the opponent in the early turns, it is crucial to mulligan aggressively for lots of early game units. It’s easy to see Bandle City MayorBandle City Mayor in a mulligan and think that it’s a decent card, synergizes with champions, and think it's a good keep. But remember our game plan. In order to maximize Tempo, we would much rather play ZiggsZiggs as a 3-drop compared to Bandle City MayorBandle City Mayor to apply maximum damage and pressure. Ideally, you even mulligan for two to three one drops to go wide as fast as possible, so long as the opponent can’t deal with it. 

Every early game turn should be thinking of how can I maximize the damage done with my units. In later turns, we can ditch the Tempo game plan and focus on burning our opponent out. Once we have the burn we need, we can just play out minions minimally to stall. 

Other aggro decks may close out the game instead with rallies like Relentless PursuitRelentless Pursuit and Golden AegisGolden Aegis, but those will play much more aggressively for the board, as they typically lack burn.

Meta decks in this archetype include: Bandle City GangplankGangplank Twisted FateTwisted Fate, PoppyPoppy ZedZed Elusives, most other PoppyPoppy decks.


Tempo/Midrange
Regions
Demacia
18 cards
Shurima
22 cards
Rarities
23 400
champion
6
epic
0
rare
10
common
24
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
7
1
15
2
6
3
4
4
8
5
0
6
0
7+
Champions
6
2
Akshan
3
Akshan
4
Sivir
3
Sivir
Landmarks
2
2
Preservarium
2
Preservarium
Followers
17
1
Fleetfeather Tracker
2
Fleetfeather Tracker
1
Treasure Seeker
3
Treasure Seeker
2
Brightsteel Protector
3
Brightsteel Protector
3
Merciless Hunter
2
Merciless Hunter
3
Vekauran Vagabond
3
Vekauran Vagabond
5
Radiant Guardian
2
Radiant Guardian
5
Vekauran Bruiser
2
Vekauran Bruiser
Spells
15
1
Shaped Stone
2
Shaped Stone
2
Sharpsight
3
Sharpsight
2
Single Combat
2
Single Combat
2
The Absolver
2
The Absolver
3
Cataclysm
1
Cataclysm
4
Riposte
1
Riposte
5
Concerted Strike
2
Concerted Strike
5
Golden Aegis
2
Golden Aegis

One of the strongest decks that hit the LoR Worlds Stage: AkshanAkshan SivirSivir, is one of the best midrange decks currently. Midrange decks similarly will focus on developing the early game, but will generally focus on curving out into their key turns. Playing AkshanAkshan on turn two and SivirSivir on turn four are some of the strongest plays the deck can make. 

You’ll notice that this deck does not have as many early cards as PoppyPoppy ZiggsZiggs. Instead of going super-wide, midrange decks like AkshanAkshan SivirSivir will usually focus on gaining Tempo through value trades, with their attackers having quick attack, or in conjunction with Merciless HunterMerciless Hunter. In addition, a plethora of combat tricks such as Shaped StoneShaped Stone, SharpsightSharpsight, and The AbsolverThe Absolver will keep your units alive turn after turn, allowing the same unit to trade into multiple of your opponents. The deck aims to stabilize, set up a strong board state by maintaining Tempo through value trades and combat tricks, then end games with leveled SivirSivir, Golden AegisGolden Aegis, and The AbsolverThe Absolver

Other decks in this archetype may have less of a combo finisher and instead rely on beefy bodies and high-statted units to gain favorable trades, or have ways of stabilizing to the midgame and dropping big bombs.

Meta decks in this archetype include: AsheAshe Nox, any ShenShen deck, DravenDraven SionSion.


Control/Combo
Regions
Ionia
22 cards
Mount Targon
18 cards
Rarities
27 500
champion
6
epic
3
rare
14
common
17
eternal
Mana cost
0
0
3
1
19
2
5
3
6
4
7
5
0
6
0
7+
Champions
6
1
Zoe
3
Zoe
5
Lee Sin
3
Lee Sin
Followers
7
2
Eye of the Dragon
3
Eye of the Dragon
3
Solari Priestess
3
Solari Priestess
5
Scattered Pod
1
Scattered Pod
Spells
27
2
Gifts From Beyond
3
Gifts From Beyond
2
Guiding Touch
3
Guiding Touch
2
Hush
1
Hush
2
Nopeify!
1
Nopeify!
2
Pale Cascade
3
Pale Cascade
2
Sonic Wave
2
Sonic Wave
2
Twin Disciplines
3
Twin Disciplines
3
Zenith Blade
2
Zenith Blade
4
Concussive Palm
3
Concussive Palm
4
Deny
2
Deny
4
Will of Ionia
1
Will of Ionia
5
Deep Meditation
3
Deep Meditation

Finally, we come to the last archetype of Control/Combo. Unlike Aggro or Midrange decks, Control/Combo decks rarely have to play for Tempo early on. Through the use of removal, healing, and board clears, Control/Combo decks can put opponents in awkward moments and make them burn mana, or just neutralize the opponent’s board. Most control decks will have some sort of “combo” win condition like Lee SinLee Sin or an “I Win the Game” button like Feel The RushFeel The Rush.

This is reflected by the unit count too. Instead of developing early on, they would happily pass back and forth if they were allowed to. By banking mana into spell mana, they can play reactively to what the opponent is doing. This Zoe Lee deck will use Eye of the DragonEye of the Dragon in combination with spells like Sonic WaveSonic Wave and Guiding TouchGuiding Touch to clog the board with DragonlingDragonling and stall the game until leveled Lee SinLee Sin ends things. The opponent could be at 20 health and still be in threat of a Lee SinLee Sin ending the game.

Other control decks in this archetype are much more removal-centric, featuring board clears such as AvalancheAvalanche and The RuinationThe Ruination, or filled with interaction like Ravenous FlockRavenous Flock, Mystic ShotMystic Shot, and VengeanceVengeance. There are also some decks with alternate win cons and aim to stall the game through healing or trading down the board. Note that because the definition of combo decks can be so wide, some may be more focused on playing out for tempo, but using units to trade down the board and stall until they can combo off.

Meta decks in this archetype include: Feel The RushFeel The Rush, EzrealEzreal ViVi Shellfolk, The Bandle TreeThe Bandle Tree decks, Tahm KenchTahm Kench SorakaSoraka Star SpringStar Spring.


Wrapping Things Up

With a good understanding of Tempo and how to gain it, we have covered the basic fundamental concept that drives each game of LoR. It’s important to identify your own game plan as each deck will want to do it differently. They may fight for Tempo early on, aim for Tempo swings, or just control the board into the late game. In the next article in this series, we will drill down on Win Conditions, and how we can achieve our own deck’s gameplan to the fullest.

And if you'd like to read more about this topie, here is Yangzera's guide on the Tempo.

Let me know what you think! You can find me at any one of these places.

Discord: Jasinsane #0246

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jasensational