Legends of Runeterra Patch 1.6 delivered a heap of nerfs that dramatically shook the meta, both on ladder and in tournaments. Nerfs to Crimson Disciple and Legion Grenadier took away a lot from the power of Noxus aggro, essentially casting out Harrowing Aggro and the PNZ Burn Aggro out of the meta.
As the game slowed down, decks that struggled to survive the fast pace of Noxus emerged as the new kings of the Runeterra meta. In this article, we take a look at the best Runeterra decks to lay on ladder (and tournaments).
Frostbite Midrange has been steadily on the rise for a few patches now, but the nerfs to Noxus aggro in Patch 1.6 really skyrocketed it up. With its worst match-up out of the way, Frostbite Midrange is now in a perfect position where it can favorably trade with other midrange decks with its freeze effects and stronger units, and put a lot of pressure on combo/control decks with its great curve.
The deck is not only played by two of the #1 Runeterra players in the world — Ultraman and GdayMaverick — but also won all three Duels of Runeterra tournaments this weekend.
Ezreal/TF was first made popular by Ultraman in early Patch 1.2 meta and while it remained a great and powerful deck through multiple meta iterations, it has now peaked as both a strong and popular deck. Despite nerfs to Pilfered Goods and Black Market Merchant, the deck still enjoys Nabbing cards from the opponent's deck and using them as secondary finishers.
In normal games, however, Ezreal or Riptide Rex are kings, with the extra control/tempo power of Twisted Fate.
Ezreal/Karma is an OG control/combo deck, dating back to the earliest days of Runeterra. For some time now, it disappeared from the spotlight due to the prevalence of Vi/Heimer control, but with that mostly gone, Ez/Karma is back in fashion.
The deck had to undergo a few changes after the nerfs to Will of Ionia and Shadow Assassin in Patch 1.6, but its win conditions have remained the same: survive the mid game with tons of removal while leveling up Ezreal, get a level 2 Karma and Ezreal on the board in conjunction, and win the game n Burst speed with Mystic Shots, Rummages and Deep Meditations.
Most versions of Demacia Bannermen are good on ladder and it's hard to pinpoint which one is exactly the best. Some meta tier lists seem to favor the MF/Quinn Scouts version, which plays a bit more aggressive style, with double attacks from the Scout mechanic (list featured above).
That said, there are several more variations that are doing well. Harrowing Bannerman won Duels of Runeterra SEA #13 this weekend. We have the pure Demacia Fiora/Garen list, as well as the Fiora/Shen Barrier list, the Lucian/MF Bannerman, and the Zed/Lucian Bannerman all performing well. Pick and choose what you like best.
Lux/Thresh Control is actually an old archetype, dating all the way back to pre-Rising Tides times. With the meta always being relatively fast, however, the deck never got to shine, as other control decks simply out-performed it.
As the meta has slowed down after the Noxus aggro nerfs, Lux/Thresh is on the rise again, preying mostly on the king of the meta — the Frostbite Midrange, as well as Bannermen. While it doesn't have enough threats to pressure the pure control/combo decks, it's a very annoying deck to play against, especially if it curves well with Vanguard Sergeant-Grizzled Ranger-Radiant Guardian Guardian-Lux on Rounds 3-6.
For more Legends of Runeterra content including guides, news, and much more, check out our Legends of Runeterra section!
All deck images by: Decks of Runeterra
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Esports editor and journalist of 10+ years. Lives on black tea and corgi love.
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