ANNIE
S-TIERTHE DARK CHILD //
FURY +
CHAOS
Overview
Annie is the fastest legend in the game right now. Cheap units, burn spells, and a gameplan that fits on a napkin: play stuff, exhaust it, score points. She punishes slow starts harder than anyone else in the format.
The thing that puts her over the top is her legend ability. She readies 2 runes at end of turn, which means even after you go all-in on your attack, you've still got energy up on their turn for Flash or Rebuke. Other aggro legends run out of gas. Annie just keeps going.
How to Play Annie
Early Game (Turns 1-3)
Slam cheap units. Pouty Poro on turn 1, Tideturner or Sneaky Deckhand on turn 2. Attack immediately. You want to conquer a battlefield and score your first point before they even have a board. Don't wait.
Mid Game (Turns 4-6)
This is where Kai'Sa or Draven come down and start taking over battlefields. Cleave turns your small units into real threats, and Flash pulls them back to safety if combat goes sideways. Because Annie readies runes at end of turn, you've always got energy for a Reaction spell, even after spending everything on your attack.
Late Game
If you've played the first six turns right, you're sitting at 5 or 6 points. Finish it with combat tricks (Fight or Flight, Ride the Wind) or just push through with raw numbers. You don't need to control the board. You just need to score.
New Player Tips
Common mistakes and things that aren't obvious at first
Attack every turn
New Annie players hold back units to block. Don't do that. Annie wins by scoring faster than the opponent can set up. If you're not attacking, you're losing your biggest advantage. Let them attack into an empty board if they want. You'll still be ahead on points.
Save Flash for their turn
Flash is Reaction speed, so you can fire it on your opponent's turn to pull your units out of danger. Annie's legend ability readies 2 runes at end of turn, which means you'll have the energy even after going all-in on your attack. Rebuke is Action speed so you play it on your own turn, but it bounces an enemy unit back to hand for just 2 energy, which clears a path before you attack.
Conquer Obelisk of Power first
Obelisk channels a rune at the start of each player's first Beginning Phase, which gives you an early resource advantage that matters a lot for a deck this fast. Startipped Peak and Dreaming Tree are useful for flexibility, but Obelisk is the one that accelerates your gameplan and makes the rest of the game play out on your terms.
Key Cards to Know
- - Flash: A Reaction-speed spell that moves up to 2 friendly units back to base, which saves them mid-combat and catches people off guard constantly.
- - Cleave: Gives a unit Assault 3 (+3 Might while attacking), which lets your small units punch way above their weight in combat.
- - Stacked Deck: A draw spell that keeps you from running out of cards around turn 5.
- - Kai'Sa, Survivor: Accelerate lets her enter ready, so she can attack and draw a card off her conquer trigger the same turn she comes down.
- - Tibbers: The big finisher in the starter deck that deals 3 to all units at battlefields when you play it.
Starter Path
Grab the precon, swap a few cards, and you're playing
Preconstructed Deck
Annie - Dark Child
Proving Grounds • Fury + Chaos
Legend
Annie, Dark Child - Starter (OGS-017)
Battlefields
1x Void Gate
Runes
6x Chaos Rune, 6x Fury Rune
Units (23)
3x Traveling Merchant, 3x Mystic Poro, 2x Pouty Poro, 3x Sneaky Deckhand, 2x Annie - Stubborn, 2x Annie - Fiery, 3x Maddened Marauder, 3x Sai Scout, 2x Tibbers
Spells (17)
3x Gust, 2x Flash, 3x Incinerate, 3x Morbid Return, 3x Disintegrate, 3x Firestorm
Starter Upgrade - Under $20
Assuming you bought the Proving Grounds starter, these are the first cards to swap out. Everything here is a common or uncommon. You can pick them all up for about $15-20 total on TCGPlayer, or you probably already pulled some of them from packs.
Chaos
RareChaosChaos
UncommonChaosRareChaosRareFuryChaosUncommonChaosFuryFuryFuryChaosPrices from TCGPlayer, Feb 2026. Singles prices change daily. Double-check before ordering.
Competitive Path
The Nanjing Regional winner, plus a budget build under $50
Season 2 Meta Deck - Nanjing Regional Winner
Nanjing Season 2 Regional - 1st Place
Piloted by Ai.EDG.张伯伦 · Feb 1, 2026 · 500 players
1st Place (beat Azir in Finals)
Legend
Runes (12)
Chaos$1.54Fury$1.05
Battlefields (3)
Units (23)
Fury$4.50Fury$0.03RareChaos$2.00UncommonChaos$0.09Chaos$0.06RareFury$0.25
EpicFury$360.00RareFury$35.70RareFury$2.97Fury$0.10
Spells (17)
Fury$1.41UncommonChaos$14.82Chaos$0.02Chaos$165.00UncommonChaos$0.17Chaos$1.26RareChaos$0.50EpicChaos$20.49
Sideboard (8)
UncommonChaos$0.02RareFury$0.50RareFury$29.32RareChaos$32.58Decklist verified against riftboundstats.com/decks/38409 (Nanjing Season 2 Regional, Feb 1, 2026). Prices from TCGPlayer market data, Feb 2026. Prices move around daily.
Budget Meta
Same game plan as the meta list, but nothing over $5 a card. Kai'Sa ($118), Draven ($19), and Invert Timelines ($37) are all gone. Vi, Noxus Hopeful, and Mindsplitter take their spots. You'll notice the difference in power level, but this deck still wins at locals. The Annie shell is just that good.
Key Swaps from Meta List
Legend
Runes (12)
Chaos$1.54Fury$1.05Battlefields (3)
Units (23)
Fury$5.37Fury$0.26RareChaos$2.40UncommonChaos$0.09Chaos$0.30RareFury$2.91RareFury$11.70Fury$0.45RareChaos$7.42Spells (19)
Fury$1.26UncommonChaos$4.89Chaos$0.90Chaos$1.50UncommonChaos$1.38Chaos$0.24RareChaos$2.70Chaos$0.20Prices pulled from TCGPlayer market data, Feb 2026. These move around. Check current listings before you buy.
Where to Buy
Annie comes in the Proving Grounds starter box (also includes Garen, Lux, Master Yi). The Riot store sells out frequently. Check TCGPlayer or Cardmarket for restocks and singles. All the cards in the upgrade and meta lists are easy to find.
What's Next?
Pick a list, play some games, and adjust from there because your local meta matters: if you're facing lots of control you should go faster, and if you keep running into mirror matches you'll want to pack more removal.