Quick LoR Ladder Update, July 5
Best Decklists for Seventeen Meta and Off-Meta Decks
I bring… unexpected tidings.
As a craft-loving poet once wrote:
That is not dead
Which can eternal lie
Yet with strange nerfs
Even Thralls may thrive
Yes: Lissandra and Taliyah have indeed returned with a vengeance:
… and while what we observed last Sunday about the lack of new decks is still true (with the exception of Vi Aphelios Viktor, we've seen most these decks at the top recently) the meta has been shaken up massively: only two decks from the list above were a the top just two days ago! =)
Let's jump into the data, and try to tell what's what.
About How Decklists are Curated & Presented
In this quick ladder overview, we'll provide the best decklists for specific archetypes (archetype being a specific champion pair).
In each archetype, some lists fare better than others (and sometimes the difference is quite noticeable) – we'll broadly group decklists in three groups, by amount of games played in the last few days:
Heavyweights: more than 900 games,
Welterweights: between 300 and 900 games,
Featherweights: between 90 and 300 games
These cut-offs are of course arbitrary – since most data samples I check are 24hs or three days, the above roughly translates to lists that have 30-100/100-300/300+ games per day.
Sources: Balco, Legna, Seth. All three provide 3-days data – Legna provides 24-hs data (what he calls "Fresh") for free; Seth provides 24-hs data for Premium access.
If you have any feedback on how these decklists could be showcased differently, do let me know! =)
Heavyweights
For this quick overview, we'll group in Heavyweights those decklists (not archetypes, but the specific, exact decklist) with:
More than 900 games in the last three days, and
WR above 53%
The lists below are ordered by play rate. If an archetype is not shown here, it means that it has no decklists in the specific range.
For example, right now Annie TF does not have any decklists with more than 900 games that also reaches the 53% WR mark (it has three different decklists with more than 900 games, but they are all in the 52-53% range).
Annie Jhin
Still the most potent decklist when you factor both play rate and WR: this list has more games (2600+) than, for example, the whole Vi Zoe Aphelios archetype (that's to say, all VZA lists combined).
And this list punches well above 54%.
Want to play it safe, and tried-and-true? Get acquainted with the Virtuoso and the blazing brat.
Try not to run into Jarvan Poppy Bard, Heimer Jayce or Vi Zoe Aphelios, though.
On the other hand, laugh devilishly when bumping into Azirelia, Ahri Bard…
… or Thralls.
Vi Zoe Aphelios
The Viktor version may be one of hottest new trends, but its lists don't make the 900+ games cut.
Vi Zoe Aphelios, though, has two lists in that play rate range. The most popular (this one) nearly reaches 53%; the one recommended below goes above 54% in more than a thousand games.
This trio is not happy with Thralls coming back, and doesn't enjoy Trundle Tryndamere slowly gaining traction.
Galio Bard
Thralls are not the only ones coming back strong; two weeks ago Galio Bard didn't have any list going past 50% – today the list below, the most popular, comfortably fits our Heavyweight label.
Galio fears Heimer Jayce quite a bit, but wrecks the popular Annie builds.
Ahri Bard
Ahri Bard's second most popular list makes the Heavyweight cut, with 54% in nearly a thousand games (and its most popular list grazes 53% in twice as many games).
Dies to Annie decks and Azirelia, is fared against Heimer Jayce, and is not too afraid of Thralls coming back-
Nearly There
Among decklists with more than 900 games and in the 52-53% range we have:
Twisted Fate Annie, with nearly 1500 games, and
Jarvan IV Poppy Bard, with well over a thousand games
Welterweights
For this quick overview, we'll group in Welterweights those decklists (not archetypes, but the specific decklist) with:
Between 300 and 900 games in the last three days, and
WR above 53%
The lists below are ordered by play rate.
Thralls are coming!!
With 700 games an stupidly high winrate (nearly 60%, which is definitely ridiculous), Lissandra Taliyah are kicking butts and taking names (probably of whoever nerfed them, one would imagine?).
They annihilate several of the decks that were having a grand old time in their brief absence – TF Nami, TF Annie, Vi Zoe Aphelios – but have two big headaches: Annie Jhin, and Azirelia.
Miss Fortune Quinn, aka Scouts
After a bit of time in the fringes, the Skin Queens of Arcadia are following Thralls in taking back the stage.
Their most popular list is not nearly as brutally effective as Thralls (as in, it has "only" 55% in nearly 700 games), but it wreaks havoc against Azirelia, TF Nami, Annie Jhin, Ahri Bard… and is not too afraid of Thralls.
TF Nami Shadows
Ah, the tricksy archetype! =)
We'll go by the numbers and recommend the third most popular list, punching well above 55% across 500 games, but pilots beware: a very similar list (which we won't include to avoid confusions), with the same amount of games, does awful.
And the most popular list (with 51% WR in more than a thousand games) is not too different – strongly suggesting that very skilled pilots, steering a specific list, explain the difference.
Vi Aphelios Viktor
After tweaks and turns, Viktor Aphelios seems to have gained a foothold – they enjoyed the spotlight a few weeks ago, but faded behind the other Chomper menace, Vi Zoe Aphelios – and performs well above 55% in nearly 500 games.
Has an edge on Nami TF and Azirelia, slight underdog to Thralls, and dislikes Heimer Jayce.
Aphelios Viktor
Vi stands for… well, "Very different deck." =)
No doubt a similar concept as the Vi version, but as you'll notice it has quite a different lineup of followers and spells.
And the matchup tables differ, which is the key factor to speak about different decks – AV fears Thralls a lot, for example.
Fizz Riven (BC)
This Combo pair seems to have lost a bit of punch, but make the Welterweight cut with 53% over more than 500 games.
They are very, very happy to see Thralls return…
… although Scouts coming back makes them weep.
Katarina Ziggs Annie Shurima
Some champs just want to watch the world burn.
And punch face.
Probably in the reverse order, though!
Somewhat low sample size (around 300 games), great WR. Vi Zoe Aphelios, Thralls and Jarvan Poppy Bard totally wreck their day, though.
Featherweights
For this quick overview, we'll group in Featherweights those decklists (not archetypes, but the specific decklist) with:
Between 90 and 300 games in the last three days, and
WR above 53%
Notice we're in the land of small/tiny data samples – proceed with caution, but this is usually where you find the spice!! =)
Frozen Darius LeBlanc
With Ashe LeBlanc not working too well, the Black Rose seems to have turned to another Noxian for help.
Lux Jayce
sighs
I have no clue what is it about Lux Jayce that folks abandon it even when it always performs great.
But, well, such are the numbers: solid WR, featherweight play rate.
shrugs
Trundle Caitlyn
Good times for Timelines: its most popular list punches above 53% in around 250 games, and other slightly less popular lists are also doing great.
Ahir Bard, Annie Jhin and Thalls are all really bad news, though, so we'll see what their future looks like.
Vi Viktor Bard
Chompers meet Chimes! =)
In Closing
Still not that many new faces…
… but our Meta is not stable nor solved, for sure.
Fun times ahead! =)
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