Legends of Runeterra Best Decks – EG Swim’s Meta Report

The Best Meta Decks for Legends of Runeterra

Hey everyone! Welcome back to our Meta Decks Monday Report for Legends of Runeterra. After another week with players hitting Masters in NA, EU, and Asia. Later this week, our Meta feature will officially launch so we’ll have the stats to back up our suggestions. As always, these deck recommendations will be provided by our expert, EG Swim.

EG Swim will be creating and curating competitive decks for our site and content so be sure to bookmark his Mobalytics Deck Library and follow him on Twitch, Youtube, or Swim’s LoR website.

Best Runeterra Decks

• Fearsome Rally (Shadow Isles + Demacia)
• Kinkou Elusives (Ionia + Freljord)
• Heimer Control (Piltover/Zaun + Ionia)
• Spooky Karma (Ionia + Shadow Isles)
• Ezreal Control (Piltover/Zaun + Freljord)
• Spider Aggro (Shadow Isles + Noxus)
• Burn Aggro (Piltover/Zaun + Noxus)
• Warmother Control (Freljord + Shadow Isles)
• Fearsome Midrange (Shadow Isles + Piltover/Zaun)
• Heimerdemacia Combo (Piltover/Zaun + Demacia)
• Midrange Frostbite (Freljord + Noxus)
• Rivershaper (Demacia + Ionia)
• Discard Aggro (Piltover/Zaun + Noxus)

To see the best decks ranked across S/A/B tiers, check out our LoR Meta Tier List!

LoR Meta Decks

In the following sections, meta-commentary from Swim will be quoted in italics.

Whether you like to play aggro, midrange, control, or combo, we’ve got meta deck archetype for you. Enjoy!

Hey guys, Swim here again for Meta Mondays. Today’s report will be a bit of a follow-up to the predictions we made last week about power decks, as well as talking about what decks are showing up in a very powerful way.

Overall, this week has been largely dominated by new versions of Fearsomes and Elusives, as well as a hodgepodge of various control decks hitting the scene, from Ezreal Freeze to Death Mark control.

That being said, the biggest standout decks this week are Fearsome Rally, Ephemeral Control with Karma, and Kinkou Elusives.

S-tier LoR Decks

Fearsome Rally

Deck code: CEBACAIAGYEQCBIOCALCOKBKGE2TQAQBAEABKAYBAUBRIIQBAIAQACIP

The top dog this week is Fearsome Rally, which runs the very typical fearsome package you’ve all seen all over ladder for the past several weeks, but with a Demacia splash for Relentless Pursuit, to be able to execute kill combos in the midgame with Hecarim.

Also, adding in The Harrowing as a replacement to Rhasa, which will usually lead to leveled Hecarims (it’s very easy to get 8 ephemeral attacks on the Harrowing), and with Deny’s presence being lowered a bit, it’s a lot safer to play this 10 mana slow spell.

We’re also running Vanguard Redeemer and Brightsteel Protector to gain some value from Demacia’s power midrange package.

[See Fearsome Rally deck details]

General Info

This deck combines all the best things about Fearsome Midrange, the new Harrowing archetypes, while topping it off with Relentless Pursuit. This deck can have fast openers or play slow so pick this up if you want something that is consistent and adaptable.

How to Play

Hecarim and The Harrowing are your main win conditions in this matchup so it’s important to play around that. Depending on the matchup, it’s not a bad idea to keep Hecarim in your opening hand because of how strong he is. Dropping Hecarim on 6 while on the attack can be very difficult for your opponent to deal with, especially if you have 3 banked mana. Hecarim is incredibly difficult to trade well with so if they invest a lot into him, you have the option of more Hecarims or Rekindler.

If they don’t take out your Hecarim, you can use Relentless Pursuit to summon 2 more Spectral Riders and push for face again. As long as it takes for your opponent to deal with the Hecarim mid game, The Harrowing comes into play during the lategame to revive any Hecarims and Rekindlers to completely overwhelm your opponent.

In order to get to that point, this deck runs to standard Shadow Isles early game that can play defensively, draw, or have an aggressive curve.

Kinkou Elusive

Deck code: CEBAEAIBAQLAUAICAYEQYEIXFAWDCMRZAEBACAQ6EUAA

Reincarnated into a new form, Elusive decks continue to persist, this one boasting a very impressive 62% win rate across our tracked Masters games.

The way to run Elusives in the new meta is with Kinkou Wayfinder and Omen Hawk, now that we’ve lost Inspiring Mentor as a buff target and that Jeweled Protector is quite a bit better, it’s best to play this strategy a bit slower, pulling Hawks with Wayfinder.

Battle Fury is a great surprise finisher for Elusives, and will fit very nicely here.

[See Kinkou Elusives deck details]

General Info

Kinkou Elusives is an aggressive deck that buffs elusive units that bypass blockers to hit face. This is a quick deck that will win if played correctly in favorable matchups and still have a good chance when against a tough one.

How to Play

Against control decks, the most important objective is to be able to protect your units with spells until you can push for a win. Against aggro decks, you want to develop faster than they can while using your 1 drops to chump block while your elusives finish the job.

This deck has a few tricks like Kinkou Wayfinder to buff up your Greenglade Duo by 3 attack in one turn. Navori Conspirator is great to keep when you already have a Bladescout or Omenhawk in hand.

Jeweled Protector is a great way to hold the board while setting up a huge unit to either stabilize the game or push through over removal.

Heimer Control

Deck code: CEBAKAICAIGCKJRZAYAQIEA3E4VTIOABAMAQEBBJGEAQCAICFY

[See Heimer Control deck details]

General info:

This is Wrapter’s version of Heimerdinger Karma that has been very popular on ladder for the past 48 hours, and will only get stronger in the new patch (Actually I swapped 1 deny for 1 steel tempest due to Deny’s new 4 mana cost).

The deny nerf is the biggest thing that hurts this deck, and it hurts it pretty majorly. That being said, the meta shift will be a big boost for Heimerdinger decks in general, and this one is no exception.

How to play:

The main win condition is to control your board and play Heimer at a moment when you can get maximum value. What that means is that you ideally want to play him with Flash of Brilliance so you can get some elusive bots.

For another variant check out Keppada’s Master Heimerdionia guide!

A-tier LoR Decks

So what about other deck types? Right now Shadow Isles is generally very hard to escape from due to its super high power level, most players in Masters are currently using it in some form or another.

But there’s a lot of hope in the superfast aggro decks, using Nox P&Z, as well as the superslow control decks like Heimerdinger Karma or Ezreal combo, even if SI is the absolute king of the midrange gameplan.

Now that Deny is less present, these control concepts are thriving with experimentation, and we should expect some more optimized versions to start coming in in a very powerful way; I actually expect them to dethrone the Fearsome decks within the next week!

Spooky Karma

Deck code: CEBAKAIFAQLB2KBWAUAQEAQDFE2TSAQBAEBDCBABAUBQ6FBLAA

Lastly, a big upriser is Ephemeral Control AKA Spooky Karma. This deck basically aims to slow down the game as much as possible, being a super stally control deck with maximum lifesteal opportunities, as well as the all-powerful (albeit somewhat inconsistent) Death Mark + Darkwater Scourge combo.

Our big finisher is The Harrowing, but we tend to smash control mirrors with Deny to counter Warmother’s control, and insane lifesteal to counter Ezreal combo.

Probably the most well-rounded control deck in terms of matchups, but by no stretch an easy deck to pilot.

[See Spooky Karma deck details]

General info

Spooky Karma is a difficult to pilot control deck. This deck can very much contend with the other top decks but games are slow and the decisions are more challenging. Give it a try if you love control or simply want a new twist on the Shadow Isles feel.

How to play

Against aggro decks, it’s important to have your early game stabilizers. Cards like Happless Aristocrat and Vile Feast really help with make sure you don’t take too much damage from an early Legion Rearguard or Saboteur. Mid game is when cards like Withering Wail, Grasp, and your Death Mark + Scourge combo will really help bridge the gap to your turn 10 Karma.

Once you get to the late game, your main win conditions are The Harrowing and Karma. The Harrowing will revive any previous dead Karmas and Rekindlers who will summon your more Karmas. If your opponent isn’t dead to the power on board, you can simply Mark of the Isles and unblocked unit with double or triple cast from your multiple Karmas on board.

Ezreal Control

Deck code: CEBAKAIEDMPSIJZUAYAQCAYLCENR4KQCAEAQCJACAECDCOQBAEAQIBA

[See Ezreal Control deck details]

General info

This is a combo control deck that focuses around stalling the game with Frostbite cards that simultaneously level up Ezreal then combo off with Mushrooms.

How to play:

Your early game relies on using Frostbite, removal, and your early followers to stall the board and deal with threats. The majority of your deck targets units to feed Ezreal, this even includes skill abilities from Avarosan Marksman and Icevale Archer.

Once you get Ezreal online, you drop him and burn through your Mushrooms and other burst spells to have a guaranteed way to trigger his ability. Progress Day! and Rummage on your Mushrooms is the way this deck refills its hand.

It’s important to save Ezreal in hand unless you have multiple copies because he levels even when not on the battlefield and is one of your only win conditions.

You can drop him early if you need to early removal and defensive capabilities. Dropping a leveled Ezreal later into the game with burst cards in hand is a guaranteed way to deal damage and is your only real win condition.

Spider Aggro

Deck code: CEBAGAIDB4MTOBIBAUTSQKZVHABAEAIFEIRQGAIDAQESMAQCAECSCMIEAEBQWDATCY

[See Spider Aggro deck details]

General info:

Play this list if you want to flood the board and overwhelm your opponent with followers that they can’t keep up with. It’s a simple deck that practically plays itself if you curve out.

How to play:

Your early game consists of one goal which is to flood the board. This is important since it either lets you flip Elise or summon a huge Crowd Favorite that you can use to quickly close out games on turns 5 and 6.

With a large board you can also turn your small spiders into huge threats by giving the unblocked spider’s Brother’s Bond for burst damage.

It’s important to push through damage early and aggressively so that you only need a few spiders to get through with buffs to end it or so that a level 2 Darius can come through because of 10 or less Nexus health.

Burn Aggro

Deck code: CEBAMAIDA4GA6HRIG4DACBAICETSQNBWAEAQCAYZAIAQCBA4AEAQGJI

[See Burn Aggro deck details]

General info:

Burn Aggro is exactly what the name implies: play units, hit face, then burn them down with spells. This deck either wins decisively or loses quickly so pick it up if you want fast and aggressive games.

How to play:

It’s important to put early pressure and curve out with this deck because you have no other game plan. Make sure to mulligan and have 1 drops in your opener so that you can punish slow starts from other decks as well as have a bigger board that you can buff with cards like Brother’s Bond or Arena Battlecaster. If you’re running with Jinx, she’s your only gas into the late game so it’s important that you save playing her for when she’s leveled up because 4 health is a lot safer and dodges common removal like Grasp and Get Excited!.

Warmother Control

Deck code: CEBAMAIFAEHR2KBWG4DACAILBQKBQJZJAEAQCAIXAIAQCBIZAEAQCNA

[See Warmother Control deck details]

General info:

Warmother Control is the only ramp deck on the market right now. This is the perfect deck to play if you love grindy games and big explosive units.

How to play:

This deck combines the amazing removal from Shadow Isles with the late game threats and ramp from Freljord to create a slow and grindy control deck. Late game the deck aims to drop Anivia or Tryndamere with Ruination on the following turn to create a one sided board wipe. In slower match ups, Warmother’s Call allows you to get multiple Tryndameres on the board at a time to close out the game.

Fearsome Midrange

Deck code: CEBACAIEGQFACBIOCALCEJZIFIYTKOACAEAQKFACAECBWJYBAEAQKIY

[See Fearsome Midrange deck details]

General info:

This is a midrange deck that can play an aggressive early game with fearsome units or slow the game down with removal, card draw, and great mid cost finishers like Hecarim and Rhasa. If you like having flexibility to change how you play from game to game then pick up this deck.

How to play:

Early game you can rely on Elise, Vile Feast, Black Spear, and Mark of the Isles to take care of any early threats. Turn 3 and 4 you can push aggressively with Frenzied Skitterer and Wraithcaller or you can use them defensively to stall the board while you wait for mana or card draw to get out your Hecarim and Rhasa.

If the game seems to be dragging and going long, you can stall the board and draw cards with Glimpse Beyond until you hit your end game threats. With the addition of Piltover & Zaun, Fearsome Midrange now has more burn and removal to push the last points of damage or control the board until it can stabilize.

B-tier LoR Decks

Heimerdemacia Combo

Deck code: CEBAGAIAEEXTMBQBAQIBWHBHGQ4AEAIBAQYQGAIADEQCUAQCAECACHYDAEAA2GZS

[See Heimerdemacia deck details]

General info:

This is a fun combo-control deck based around Heimerdinger. The three cost cards summon Heimerdinger’s elusive turrets that can block or push through damage for a win. Give this deck a go if you enjoy huge swing turns and watching your combo pop off.

How to play:

This deck focuses heavily on Heimerdinger as your only win condition. This means you want to make sure you have Heimerdinger or Vanguard Redeemer who has a high chance to tutor Heimerdinger from your deck since he’s the only other unit you’re running.

The last piece you’ll need for this combo is Flash of Brilliance which let’s you combo off three mana cards the turn you drop Heimerdinger on turn 5 or 6. To get to this point, you’ll need to rely on your removal suite. It’s important to mulligan for the right removal depending on the matchup.

Mystic Shot and Statikk Shock will be invaluable for dealing with low health units from aggro decks while Thermogenic Beam is necessary to take out large units.

Midrange Frostbite

Deck code: CEBAGAIDCEPSCCIBAEAQOCYSCYPCMKJKAEBACAJEE4AA

[Midrange Frostbite deck details]

General info:

Midrange Frostbite is an interesting and adaptable deck that is capable of playing multiple ways. It utilizes the synergy between frostbite and challenger to be a menace on the board unless you have direct removal for its followers.

How to play:

Midrange Frostbite can play a slow early game with early Culling Strikes or it can deploy Legion Drummer into Trifarian Gloryseeker or Rimefang Wolf. The quick attack combined with challenger is a deadly combo that lets you control the board.

Your third option is to play your challenger units raw with frostbite cards to back them up. Once you get the board under control, the deck is equipped with good card advantage tools like Trifarian Assessor and Babbling Bjerg to keep your handsize up.

Assessor is particularly good because many of the cards in your deck are 5+ power or become 5+ power after buffed by Omen Hawk or Avarosan Hearthguard.

During the mid to late game, you look to grind your opponent out with continued frostbite trades then deploy a leveled Ashe that lets you blow through their blockers for free with massive damage.

Rivershaper Fiora

Deck code: CEBAGAIAAMIS2BQBAIBCKKBLGE4QEAIBAIGAIAIAA4ERUJICAEAQALACAEBAIKI

[Rivershaper Fiora deck details]

General info:

If you like making a deck that revolves around buffing and protecting key units, namely Fiora and the Rivershaper, then this is the deck for you.

Lots of combat tricks makes this a deck that requires a strong knowledge of other decks so you can play your spells optimally. If mental duels of fortitude are your thing, then this challenging deck will feel rewarding to play.

How to play:

This main win condition for this deck is Fiora and her awesome animation. One Judgment can be enough to win a losing game easily. Rivershaper draws you the spells you need, so you need to make sure to keep him alive and make intelligent blocks/trades to get value.

However, if all else fails you have enough lifesteal in the deck to stall until one of your elusive units can easily get strong enough to take over the game.

Discard Aggro

Deck code: CEBAEAIDCQRQOAIEBQGRYJZIGQ3AEAQBAQASMBABAMFRSJZPAEAQCBBM

[Discard Aggro deck details]

General info:

Discard Aggro is an aggressive burn deck that uses Jinx and Draven to fuel its strategy. It uses strong early starts that dump their hand early then finishes their opponents off with burn damage.

This deck requires a lot of decision making on when to use your burn for removal or face as well as when and what cards to discard.

How to play:

The deck is flexible and can play a slower game or a faster game depending on your draws. Early game, if you get a Boomcrew you can play faster but otherwise, you really don’t kick off until turn 3 where you can reliably have 1 or more Dravens in hand to push through with a large quick attack unit.

Mid game you can develop your Jinx and Augmented Experimenter draw engines since you’ll be running out of cards. It’s important to avoid your Augmented Experimenter from getting canceled. Its skill can be Denied or if your opponent is Shadow Isles they can kill their own unit to fizzle the skill.

Play around the mana costs for those effects or try to bait them out so that you can safely generate your card advantage. Check out superjj102 if you want to learn how to play some Dravennnnnnnnnn!!!!!

Conclusion

So there you have it! We’ll be posting the meta report every week so be sure to check back here. We also have our dedicated meta feature for LoR within our platform. See you next time.

Thanks for reading! To explore all the cards in LoR, check out our Card Gallery or jump straight into our Deck Builder if you already got some ideas from our article. Show us your best decks in the comments below. Be sure to follow our expert, EG Swim, at his LoR website, Twitch, Twitter, and Youtube.