Deny was Legends of Runeterra’s most-played card in the first preview patch

Riot Games made waves by revealing its new card game, Legends of Runeterra. And now, Deny made waves by being the most-popular card of the beta.

The spell was played 4.3 million times throughout the week, making it the most-played card in the preview patch, according to today’s tweet by LoR associate quality assurance manager Riot Polybius.

The Ionian spell card stops any fast spell, slow spell, or skill and can be played at any time. Along with the fact that it only costs three mana, Deny found its way into almost every deck.

Deny’s popularity isn’t a complete surprise, nor is the premise revolutionary. Countering a spell has been common practice in every card game because it’s important to be able to control the tempo of the match by nullifying your opponent’s spells.

Counterspells in Magic: The Gathering, most often used by Blue decks, allow the player to buy time for the deck to execute its strategy. They’re also in Blizzard’s digital card game, Hearthstone, where the mage class similarly casts the spell to influence the ebb and flow of the match.

While Deny is no different from the iterations in other games, LoR allows the card to thrive. Players cast spells more often because they can perform actions with replenished mana on both offense and defense. Being able to stop your opponent in their tracks is a necessity in such a fast-paced game.

Although the first patch preview ended, players can pick up on the action when the second preview kicks off on Nov. 14.