Runeterra Open: ABG Recommended Lineups
Six seasoned pilots – including a Top 16 Worlds competitor – share the decks and lineups they are considering for the Open tomorrow.
Runeterra Open Ahoy!
First time playing in the Runeterra Open?
Fear not – it's a first for everybody else too! =)
Technically speaking, there were a couple of Opens during the Competitive Beta Season back in February and March, but this is the first Runeterra Open for real, and the first in the LoR 2023 Competitive 2.0 Season.
As Riot announced in their Competitive 2.0 article, any LoR player can play (as opposed to Seasonals of seasons past, for which you had to qualify by being either a top 700 Master player or via the Last Chance Gauntlets).
And, unlike the Daily Rumbles, the Runeterra Open has no entry fee.
In other words: you don't get more Open than this.
If you are still undecided (or haven't even considered…) what decks to bring, below you'll find the lineups that six competitors from Always Be Gaming – including a top 16 Worlds competitor – are considering bringing to the fray.
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A Word on Comfort
The most common tip that experienced competitors have for rookies is, "Play comfort decks" – a Tier 2 deck that you have experience with, and that just clicks for you, will work better than a Tier 1 powerhouse that you haven't played yet.
If more than one of these lineups looks appealing, and you're on the fence about which to go for, do use comfort as the tiebreaker: the closer the decks are to what you have already played, or what you enjoy playing, the better.
With that out of the way, let’s check what these six competitors find comforting — you can jump directly to any lineup that catches your eye from the links below:
Rogio – Deep, Malphite Taliyah, Pantheon Varus
Past Seasonal Experience: I have two Seasonal Top Cuts
The first thing that is important to notice is that, unlike previous Seasonal Tournaments, anyone of any rank can participate (and, from what RubinZoo has said on Twitter, the matchmaking adjustments won't be live for this Open).
That means that trying to beat a specific lineup is going to be more complicated than in previous Seasonals – it's harder to predict what other players will bring, since more people playing means more variety.
That being said, I think that:
The most played lineup (especially by Master players) will be Karma Sett, Seraphine Jack, and Samira Fizz,
We will also find plenty of Ashe LeBlanc, Gwen Quinn, Leona Samira, and Aatrox decks, although more as loose decks than as popular lineups.
So here's what I'm planning to bring myself:
This lineup goes relatively well against P&Z decks, and midrange decks like Ashe LeBlanc. They are not super-strong counter-decks that will steamroll every game, of course, but I love the flexibility that they provide, and I think they have a good shot against most lineups.
My nightmare would be some wild triple aggro (including Samira Fizz), or mirrors – I just kinda hate mirror matches!
Tako Salvaje – Karma Sett, Fizz Samira Nami, Kennen Seraphine Caitlyn
Past Seasonal Experience: I've reached 7-2 twice out of four Seasonals.
The most common lineup I expect to face is Karma Sett, Samira Fizz, and a third deck – my strategy is to ban Karma Sett, because it is a problematic deck to deal with.
And, for that same reason, I'm bringing Karma Sett myself! =)
All these decks are annoying to play against, so I expect my opponents will struggle to find a comfortable ban.
After the ban, I'll rely on my skills to outplay my foes – I really hope they are not bringing something like Karma Sett Targon, Samira Fizz, and Leona Kayle Diana Noxus: that would be the sort of lineup that is a nightmare for mine.
Xeloo – Vayne Quinn Aatrox, Samira Leona, Udyr Galio
Past Seasonal Experience: I have a seasonal Top 16, and I’ve reached Top 16 in Worlds 2021
This is what I'm currently on:
I plan to target Karma and Seraphine decks while banning Ashe LeBlanc, Gwen Quinn, and Elusives.
Or, I die against that lineup, if I run into somebody playing all those three. =)
GibS – Lone Leona, Illaoi Jarvan, Samira Fizz
Past Seasonal Experience: I've played in most Seasonals, with 6-3 as my best record
This lineup aims to double-dip on how good Samira-style decks are right now, by bringing a "minus-Samira" version of Samira Leona (playing Leona as our only Champ), which in turn allows us to also bring Samira Fizz.
The goal is to have multiple decks that both Karma Sett and Samira Fizz should find a nightmare to play against.
Since Karma Sett and Samira Fizz are my lineup's main targets, my main bans would be either Ashe LeBlanc or Annie Caitlyn – lineups along the lines of Ashe Leblanc, Annie Caitlyn, and Samira Leona would be quite annoying to deal with.
Majestic – Leona Samira, Gwen Quinn, Ekko Jinx
Past Seasonal Experience: I've played in every Seasonal since I started playing competitively, 6-3 being my best record.
I think that Coin Fish (Karma/Sett + Fizz/Samira + X) and Frost Burn (Ashe/Leblanc + Leona Samira + X) will most likely be two of the most popular lineups.
This lineup’s goal is to be mid or good into all of the most popular decks:
Samira Leona is currently the best aggro deck, and should crush all of the four decks outlined above,
Ekko Jinx currently has a low play rate, but can build an early tempo lead and has some late-game staying power with Rite of Negation and Chronobreak – I predict this deck will have good results,
Gwen Quinn struggles a bit into the Frost Burn lineup, but Hallowed gives the deck inevitability versus Coin Fish.
This lineup relies on the pilot having knowledge and experience with the decks, due to many matchups being close to 50/50 – as noted at the start of this article, when in doubt, always play comfort. However, if you’re confident in your skill, feel free to give this lineup a try!
Leer – Samira Varus, Kayle Leona, Ashe LeBlanc
Past Seasonal Experience: I went 7-2 in Seasonals about half a dozen times, and reached Top 32 once, during the World Ender Seasonal.
My strat is to bring three powerful decks that are good into the most popular meta decks.
I expect people to bring mainly:
Fizz Samira, Karma Sett, and Seraphine with Jack or Caitlyn, and
Ashe LeBlanc, Samira Leona, and a Demacian brew.
And what I'm bringing myself is:
My lineup punishes people for including a Demacian blend into their lineup, and I have to ban Ashe LeBlanc (because it demolishes Varus Samira). Otherwise, I ban plan to ban any Shadow Isle control blend that shows up, as they tend to counter Leona Samira and Ashe LeBlanc.
I hope I don't run into a control lineup targeting Ashe LeBlanc – I'm bringing the most popular deck in Runeterra, and that's having a big target on my back: Ashe LeBlanc is easy to counter for control brews.
Wrapping Up
We are sailing into uncharted water: since tomorrow's Runeterra Open is literally Open, and anybody can participate, not even Riot knows how many players will show up…
… let alone predict what they will bring. As you may have gleaned above, seasoned Seasonal players' strategies range from targeting Ashe LeBlanc, to banning Ashe LeBlanc, to banning AND bringing Ashe LeBlanc themselves.
Hence why, if in doubt, remember: play comfort.
And good luck in the Open! =)
RIWAN is free, and ad-free (except I guess this block right here =).
We’re passion-fueled — but an extra cup of coffee always helps!
If you like what we’re doing and would like to support us, here’s our Tip Jar:
… THANKS!! 😄
If you have questions about a specific lineup, do let me know, and we'll try to get the reply from the specific pilot! =)