Legends of Runeterra

So the expansion has been out long enough that we can start talking about the best new decks and their optimized variants that are winning 56% plus to make them top tier.

1. Annie always run with Jhin turns out that the only optimization that this deck needed was having stagehand and sun hawk on 2 for tempo stun so your turn 1 play can guarantee dmg.

2. Illoi probably the scariest and most versatile new card with 56% winrates with Jarvan, Lux, Thresh because it doesn't really matter Illoi is cracked tentacles are good, Overwhelm is good etc, everything else is just control and delay.

3. Bard, always run with Zed but you also do the handbuff stuff with inspiring mentor and greenglade elder which I figured if it wasn't freijord it would Ionia for thr turbo level. Everything else is payoff cards like the maker and highway men.

4. Thralls at 56% percent again thanks to their two new cards sand of time, and the extra 2 mana dude. That's all it takes sometimes.

5. Deep also at 56% thanks to the 4 mana healer, and the 3 mana removal both great cards into aggro.

Decks we are not seeing:

Yassao, despite all these amazing stun tools we just aren't seeing this guy played much. Possible because he has a 3 region spread and Jhin is a terrible stun card so more like 4 regions.

Are any of the old decks bad?

No you can still run your pantheon, your feel the rush, your traditional pirate aggro or scouts. It's just that you're going to feel more competition on ladder now, and more things to play around.

Is there a way to filter by latest cards released?

So running 1 Jyn allows you to essentially have 15 agressive 1 drops - guaranteeing the dreaded tripple one drop round two play

12 2 drops including out of region options

Doom beast on 3

And all the spells you need are decimate, and noxion fervor 

And when your board gets answered just slam augmented experimenter to draw 3 cards?

Thats hilarious, at the end of the day the question isn't is Jyn or Annie a good card.

 Is having guaranteed cheap aggro plays, into burn, into draw good?

It probably isn't without value, without leveling Champs, but man is it funny.

For 2 days already, I don't see quest icon on the top. Can't see any quest.

Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

As a 1 mana drop she's great, 2 mana drop she's good, 3 plus, she's damn near worthless. Unlike Zoe who worked, because she had elusive. Annie doesn't. She has 2 attack that can't be buffed. Annie also has a really bad level up unlike Zoe. She summons a 6 mana 5/5 in hand. Wow, great, thanks. So Annie levels and gets 1/1 and that's it. She does nothing. She gives you an under stated card that you probably won't play because its under stated. Why doesn't she just summon him on board? Then he would be good. In hand he can be worthless in some games. There are going to be games you just can't play him, because he costs to much and doesn't do enough.

So she's 1 mana ezreal, that only has the precondition of needing to be in combat first.

That would be good enough on its own but she has a 2 mana built in kill spell.

So you guys know how I said there hasn't been a good control spell released in ages, this is it.

Flock, disintegrate, scorched earth

Anie ezreal, anie Katarina, anie zillian. Annie Swain!

Like that some scary noxious control value right there.

Annie is essentially fizz for combat instead of spells, you can't block her with a potential disintegrate in hand.

So that only leaves hard removal, strikes, etc.

Pretty good card is what I'm saying, who cares that tibbers is only average, because he's free.

Another hot take with specific examples based on newly released card.

- Keep in mind Jhin is a region you can not duel region Jhin

- jhin get access to every single skill card released as his region

- Opposite to bard you don't want allegiance instead wide creature possibilities

Never before has it been easier to just run mono stun.

When it used to feel like no draw Yasso equals no play game

We're starting too see enough tools emerge that yeah it's kinda scary

I'll probably do Jinn Targon for champ tutor off priestess and then just have all these free skill cards that stun and bounce.

With a potential invoke finish off starshaping. 

I dont believe bard is like lurk for example where the two recommended regions are actually correct.

I think bard is slow value engine that requires buffing for value. Something like freijord or shurima have a far higher viability then Targon at the moment with the cards we've seen.

Looking at his stats when does bard "get good" at 2/5 that's terrible, at 3/6 still bad, at 4/7 now we're talking about a swing deck buffing engine.

So whether that's through 1 chime and a omen hawk, or the shurima landmark making bard a 4/5 with spellshield.

Eventually the math starts adding up, I don't think he will be top tier, I think he will be a better braum for the deck buffing archetype whatever that happens to look like.

With his universal region lock he can can even go in Ionia, for some of their hand buffing stuff, like the new bounce card.

Either way I like the design of here's a weird champ now make it work in whatever deck you want. Literally, any two regions, any cards, no restrictions at all.

Also, his "kit" isn't region locked either thanks to his wandering caretaker text, you're guaranteed his chime cards if you want them with 0 region restrictions. That's powerful.

Here for credibilitiy sake I will share every top winrate control deck code.

Because card game honor or something, along with my opinions strength and weaknesses of each.

1. Catlyn ezreal 56% (CQDQCAQDBEAQGAYNAEBQIEIBAUFJQAICAEBS4NYDAECB6JBUAMCQIBQMBUBACAIDGMAQCBA3AA)

This deck essentially wins 3 ways, removal value, big dudes off tri beam or farron, and ezreal.

Is it possible to beat a well balanced 3 prong strategy absolutely, because none of those things are individually great or strong on their own, due to inherent low synergy 

2. Darkness I won't re-share but the list I use is around 70% winrate.

3. Viktor aphelios 57% not really a control deck so much as a combo deck with stall but sure (CICACAIEGQAQEBABAIBQIAYFAYBQSI2JKRLFZWIBAMAQGCKVAIAQIJRHAIBQICYSAA)

4. Feel the rush actually a ramp deck but at 65% winrate this is the deck people think is the best control deck and it's obvious to see why (CECACBABBYBACBIBFABQCAIME4ZAIAYBAMDAUFQCAECACDADAEAQCFBUAEBACBITDE)

So thats 1 control deck and 1 ramp deck that are hitting those high winrates, compared to something like 5 aggro decks.

(Pirate aggro) (scouts) (yoi) (Riven viktor) (overwhelm) (spiders) and more

So generally speaking if there are 6 aggressive decks that have 60% plus winrates and 1 control deck and 1 ramp deck with a 60% plus winrate arguably aggro is better/more prevalent.

Not gonna do a card by card breakdown for this.

Suffice it to say Bilgewater got itself a Viego.

Which should help the control bilgewater archetype a great deal.

Something like TF makes a lot more sense when you can guarantee massive board presence over time.

why  out of cards didnt  make a article about the new path of champions? riot posted a vid  about it this friday and i would like to see more people talking about it.

Let's card review woooo

Hey a nightfall finisher, ironically probably better in ramp targon

Infinitely worse than spectral matron but I like the flavor

Really good on like a Renekton, or Ziggs, or Thaliyah, or Xerath

Lurk is a scary deck and rally is gonna push it over the top 

Ionia get's a stun spider now, and it always wanted that, but it had to be worse.

Jin I don't actually care about a great deal

Thralls is awkward as hell to play right now, and this fixes that

If you're just gonna wipe on 4 anyway, now you get a crystal that's not bad

handbuff finisher that's fun

Trying to push the old wayfinder Ionia aggro archetype

Now this card is probably the best Ionia print since vanilla

Fun combo card blade tribal kinda thing

If you play this you need ways to buff his stats 

Interesting don't know where this gets played

So he mystics on play and all your pings are now lethal.

That's fun with like time bombs just full wiping

personally my favorite of the bunch.

There hasn't been a playable deep card in ages

So basically you chump then flip and he heals you and itself

Kind of a spelling slinger blue mage type of thing

Ephemeral support is great

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Overall 4 really strong options 6-8 playables that's not bad 

Deep is gonna be the first deck I try followed by Yassao, then Thralls

Hello everyone. Can anyone clear my doubts? I installed Legends of Runeterra from Epic Store a few days ago. Now I want to format the PC, is it possible to save the game in somewhere else than where it is currently saved? Kindly respond to this topic.

Playing on ladder lately has felt pretty repressive to midrange decks.

I wasnt entirely sure if it was a perception issue on my end so I pulled up the weekly stats.

https://runeterraccg.com/meta-stats/

Ezreal Catlyn - 50%

Sundisc - 50%

Riven Viktor- 55% still good

Yumi Pantheon - 54% still good

Darkness - 51% this is the same

Lulu Fizz - 55% don't know this deck

Sivir Alshan - 55% still good

Viktor Aphelios - 52% was never that good

Lurk - 50% wtf?

Yordles in arms - 56% yeah we get it

Scouts - 53%

Thaliyah - 53%

Azir Irelia - negative winrate

Targons Peak- negative winrate

Kindred - negative winrate

Ekko - negative winrate

Spiders - negative winrate wtf?

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The point is that a looooooot of decks that are supposed to be good are getting creamed right now.

And I dont necessarily understand the cause.

Maybe you guys can guess.

Now that LOR essentially has perfect archetype balance now, and massive number of viable decks.

Its very hard to definitively say what buffs, nerfs, and changes need to happen.

Its easy to point to certain things like Freijord being the most underperforming midrange shell by pure numbers.

Or that Bilgewater might be the second worst control region with Kegs and TF and deep seeing very little play.

But how much of that is just the way the game is played right now, and how much is a matter of numbers tweaks?

I honestly don't know how Riot out does themselves after the 2 best patches in the games history.

Except hang back and play wack a mole when serious problems arise till the next card expansion.

Once again good job Riot, you took risks, you pissed some people off, but you leveled the numbers and thats no easy task.

Imagine this play scenario, you have heimer on board:

1. You play an 8 mana production surge

2. Your opponent plays deny

Your opponent has played a 4 mana card to stop something like 13 mana worth of tempo of you include Heimer himself.

This is instantly game losing.

Now under the rules change:

1. You play production sirge

2. Opponent plays deny

3. You get 1 8/8 but their deny still trades up in 4 mana value

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It is my oppinion that this isn't a skill gap issue its a champion balance issue.

Should of just played a champ that doesn't suck, and then you could climb.

Well under the rules change even low tier Champs like Heimer are now playable on a somewhat even playing field.

People will point to Ezreal and go see, see. 

But ezreal Catlyn went up like 2% total.

Its just whiny streamer players that are upset that deny isn't a catch all card anymore and that wincons ie. Champs that need to be good for the game to be fun.

Are now actually good again. Same as I've been saying for almost a year now.

https://app.mobalytics.gg/lor/meta-tier-list

They got rid of all the garbage Swim picks.

Now it's essentially exactly what it should be.

We have pirate aggro as tier 1 has been for 2 years honestly.

We have Jayce sentinels that Asian deck that is the strongest control list.

Viktor, Overwhelm, Scouts all good proven decks.

Tier 2 is equally strong, with Ezreal, Pantheon, Discard, yordle stuff, Ziggs, spiders

Tier 3: galio, sundisc, Lurk, darkness, Azir Irelia

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This is a perfect tier list and I agree with every single pick.

Its also a very healthy brewing meta where you can build decks and pilot them effectively.

So very happy patch 1 and patch 2 giga edition both wins for the LOR team.

Good stuff guys 

Currently meta stats are far too volatile with small sample sizes to offer reliable data.

However early trends are rising up, namely control is receiving a numbers boost putting it on par with aggro for the first time ever in LOR.

This will be contentious for many players, but from my perspective if an aggro deck or tempo deck can reliably hit a 57% winrate why not control?

Thats how other card games work where these things are supposed to be balanced, and if anything gets too strong just nerf those cards individually. 

So the "cancer" rule change actually turned out to be a vaccine of sorts, creating true statistical number parity between archetypes at both ends of the spectrum.

The second prediction is that region balance remains mostly unchanged with Frijord performing the worst overall.

Third prediction the champ changes while nice won't lead to any new archetypes becoming top tier.

Thats it from me what do you guys think?

I had said the last balance patch was the best LOR had ever seen.

Necessary justified nerfs, buffs to bad archetypes like sundisc, and new cards that were actually playable and strong.

Now once again Riots nocked it out of the park.

This time the nerfs are again justified and not overbearing 

The new cards are very playable, elite card is flexible, reputation card is a 2 for one, stance card tutors for stance.

Champ changes are nice, I'm little worried about Waaaaaar but probably fine.

Ash can now work with Surima so giving her acess to quick sand is fairly gross, it does what harsh winds did but at 3 mana.

Garen is a genuine tribal card. Like you can run him with spiders if you want, or yordles, or yetis or poros.

Bad Champs like Karma, and Leblanc seem to be more worth playing.

Katarina is a ping machine now so she is kinda like gnar and that's awesome.

Malphite stuns on play now so he drops on play he's leveling and stunning on 7, so not a dead card.

The rest are just nice stat changes, and like I'm still sad that Lux, Jayce, TF and just general "control" champs are kinda bad 

"Tempo" equals good right now, and this patch won't change that.

Otherwise, I'm super happy with everything 

----edit---

They removed burst passing, and control Champs only leveling/generating value on spell resolve.

So now I play Jayce with one tick, putting a spell on the stack for tick 2 can't counter the level up he just pops.

Why does this matter?

Same reason why rummaging Jinx to level at burst to counter removal was her strongest tempo play.

And burst passing is dumb, endgame stalemates where "professional" player grind value and make optimal non plays for an hour wasnt them being "good" it was them testing patience and turning a video game into chess.

Percentages are just so healthy across the board, and increasingly even old archetypes and new are re-surfacing for proper evaluation.

Everyone knows scouts are great but pirate aggro is back at 58% possible never having left.

For everyone complaining that YOI is overpowered they are only 55% making them a strong but not thaaaaat strong midrange deck.

Sejuani gangplank, still 53% super healthy for the Oldman plunder archetype.

The only complaint you can have is that certain Champs are very bad picks right now.

Value midrange/control stuff, like Swain, Ashe, Heimer, Jayce, Lux, Karma, TF

There seems to be much better alternatives at the moment.

But the actual archetype balancing is phenomenal with more decks then we've ever seen being playable.

Region wise, Frijord needs the most help outside its ramp identity. With shadow being almost as bad outside its removal pkg.

But otherwise perfect.