Legends of Runeterra Shadow Assassin
Image via Riot Games Legends of Runeterra

Elusive takes over early Legends of Runeterra metagame

Climb the ladder quickly before the meta adjusts again.

Topping the Legends of Runeterra meta, prior to the weekly reset tomorrow, the Ionia region and its elusive support cards have taken over the early meta. 

Recommended Videos

Mostly everyone thought aggro was the best way to climb the LoR ladder upon its launch last Friday. And for Swimstim’s Dawnspiders, it was. For about a day. But as players head into the weekly reset tomorrow and restock up on their wildcards, there are several new top-tier LoR decks everyone will likely be crafting next. 

There’s a handful of elusive builds being played in the higher tiers of the ladder. Swimstrim highlighted several of these decks during his stream today and shared some of the decklists via his LoR early meta breakdown video. 

One of the most popular decks being played on the ladder this past weekend combined Ionia and Frejlord, created by Petrify, and aptly named Petrify Ninjas. Champions Zed and Braum are at the helm of this build but it’s the synergy between cards that takes this build to the next level. Omen Hawk, Inspiring Mentor, and Navori Conspirator are ideal early draws—pumping up your deck with +1/+1 counters while dropping a potential 4/3 elusive on turn two. 

Drawing cards is essential for tempo before opponents go too wide with aggro, or stomp with overwhelm. Shadow Assasin and Avarosan Sentry keep the cards flowing while Zed provides early aggro and Braum uses the mechanic, Challenger, on potential threats. And don’t underestimate a pumped up Kinkou Lifeblade, replenishing health after avoiding unnecessary blocks while on defense. 

Other variations of this deck have also included cards like Scarmaiden Reaver in place of Babbling Bjerg and The Empyrean in place of Avarosan Hearthguard. And if you’re short on wildcards and shards for spells, Ghost is always a solid option. 


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Is Legends of Runeterra dead? The future of Riot’s digital card game
Irelia from League of Legends stands ready for battle, surrounded by blades in Legends of Runeterra.
Read Article Legends of Runeterra to be drastically scaled back due to financial shortcomings
Read Article Riot is trying to help Legends of Runeterra grow by adding it to LoL
A warrior plays his flute in Legends of Runeterra while a battle rages around him
Related Content
Read Article Is Legends of Runeterra dead? The future of Riot’s digital card game
Irelia from League of Legends stands ready for battle, surrounded by blades in Legends of Runeterra.
Read Article Legends of Runeterra to be drastically scaled back due to financial shortcomings
Read Article Riot is trying to help Legends of Runeterra grow by adding it to LoL
A warrior plays his flute in Legends of Runeterra while a battle rages around him
Author
Danny Forster
Lead Magic: The Gathering/Teamfight Tactics scribe and staff writer for Dot Esports. Danny is a gamer beach bum residing in Spacecoast Florida and has been a journalist for seven years, of which five have been at Dot Esports. Prior media outllets Danny wrote for were Screen Rant and TheGamer. You can typically catch Danny playing TCGs and a variety of strategic games. He also hangs out on Twitter @Dannyspacecoast.