New Legends of Runeterra Cards (Patch 4.2.0)

Patch 4.2.0 Reveals and Breakdowns.

Hey all, it’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here. The patch notes have dropped, and while it may not have included the buffs or nerfs we’ve been asking for, we get something better…new cards!

Fresh off the patch we’ll have ten new cards to explore; one support card for each region. There are some real game-changers here, so let’s dive in!

Ceaseless Sentry

First up, we’ve got the SI version of Avarosan Sentry. This card is definitely more suited to Shadow Isles over Freljord, and does offer a nice alternative 2-drop to choose from. As it stands currently, I’m not sure whether there’s an appropriate home for it now.

Heimer Jayce doesn’t want to play more units as it needs to bank mana for its six mana plays. Norra Veigar already has too many priority 2-drops to choose from. FTR already has access to Avarosan Sentry and it hasn’t been included for a long time.

All that said, Ceaseless Sentry is still a solid card, and I think it could help rebirth some slay strategies in the future. Shadow Isles often relies on its second region to fill in the 2-drop slot, so it’ll appreciate having another playable option.

Generous Gemcrafter

There are two cards that come to mind when I see Generous Gemcrafter. Number one is Nami, and number two is Puffcap Peddler. These are both 3-drops that reward you for playing spells and can eventually build up to win the game. Generous Gemcrafter could play a similar role.

However, one issue with Generous Gemcrafter is its region. The only cheap Targon spell worth playing is Pale Cascade, and its reactive nature means it’s harder to proc Gemcrafter as early and reliably. And if you think about it, we definitely haven’t seen success from Targon Nami or Targon Puffcap Peddler. This means Generous Gemcrafter will have to rely on its second region for support which really limits its options.

The one place I could see this card is with the Teemo Zoe elusives deck. Elusives love getting extra stats, and Bandle City is a fantastic region for cheap spells. Outside of that, there’s always potential to grow a giant game-ending unit. EIther way, it’ll be a fun card to try out!

Blocking Badgerbear

Pre-nerf Rising Tides Badgerbear is back and better than ever before. Tack on that now-prevalent Elite tag and add the ability to block elusives and we’re set.

Despite its name, this card will do more than just block. It’s going to be an immediate inclusion into Elites, but may even see some play in slower Lux style Demacia decks. Demacia’s been struggling as of late, so what do we do to fix it? MORE STATS.

Banana Blaster

Upon first glance I thought this card looked great; until I read it again. Banana Blaster’s effect is a skill that goes on the stack, then after resolution, checks Bandle Blaster’s power, then deals damage. Unfortunately, this is just way too vulnerable.

Remember how we can send removal at Devourer of the Depths to prevent it from obliterating our unit? The same applies with Banana Blaster, except it’s a 2/2.

While it’s true that it scales nicely with buffs, it requires far too much investment for the potential mid to late game swing. And even then, it still gets countered by freezes/recalls/Vengeance/etc. Sorry Nanners.

Priestess of Desert Light

It wouldn’t be a card release without a new meme to explore. There’s definitely some hilarious stuff you can do with this, namely A-Sol. But if you really want to get it out early, you’re better off just ramping. If you have to get a six mana 4/4 to stick, and you don’t even get a 7-8 mana champion out of it, well that’s not great.. 🙂

Formula

This card is scary good.. Probably the best new card of the patch. It’s essentially a three mana draw two with the only condition being that it requires you to have at least six mana upon cast. In most cases this won’t matter, but it does make it somewhat clunky to draw off the top when digging for answers.

If you haven’t caught on yet, Formula is also part of Ryze’s card pool, allowing the deck access to yet another form of consistent and efficient card draw. Uh oh…

Standalone this card is super solid, and only gets better in the context with champions like Heimerdinger, Jayce, or Lux. New PnZ staple.

Winter’s Touch

Freljord gets another ramp spell and a powerful one at that, being only four mana. While this doesn’t let the region ramp any earlier than it could previously, having a ramp spell at four now makes it possible to play a 2-drop on-curve and still ramp on turn three. That could matter a lot.

More importantly, more ramp just means more overall consistency. While including more ramp spells could lead to even clunkier mid to late game hands, Winter’s Touch can at least cycle itself in the late game.

It’s hard to say how good ramp decks will be moving forward, but I would be very surprised if Winter’s Touch isn’t a part of whatever list exists in the future.

Skulking String-Puller

Skulking String-Puller offers support for a go-wide style of play. The most obvious potential here is providing a board-wide Hallowed buff for insane value. The issue is, Hallowed decks don’t tend to go super wide outside of their Harrowing turns. Not to mention we already have an excellent 6-drop in Eternal Dancers.

Perhaps we’ll see a more spider-focused build with Gwen and Elise, forgoing a bit of the burn in exchange for Skulking String-Puller as a finisher. There’s also cute synergy with buffs, but even then, we still need a large enough board to take advantage of it.

Serene Sky-Singer

There’s definitely some combo shenanigans being brewed up right now.. Serene Sky-Singer is everything that Smooth Soloist wanted to be and more. Reducing the cost of spells is way better than units, a 3/6 Lifesteal body is a great blocker, and there’s no silly Plunder requirement. Best of all, it’s in Ionia, not Bilgewater.

It’s possible we’re going to experience some bar-like gameplay in which dropping this on seven starts a crazy chain of discounted spells. Serene Sky-Singer is going to be insanely powerful in control mirrors. But as we know, outside of the slower matchups, turn seven can be a struggle to reach. Is a 3/6 Lifesteal body enough to bail us out if and when we get there? We’ll have to see!

Mischievous Marai

Oh this is a fun one. I’ve always been fond of Kegs, as they offer interactive gameplay from both sides. We’ve only really had a few cards good enough to see play, and while this card does look slow and expensive, it could also be EXTREMELY EXPLOSIVE!

Puns aside, it really doesn’t take much to turn Mischievous Marai into a one-sided board wipe. Decks without ways of interacting on the stack are likely to be completely blown out. It’ll definitely require some setup, and enough card advantage to truly support it. But if you manage to make it work, it’s a huge payoff!