Across 15 events and 2,172 recorded entries through August 9, Master Yi paired the strongest overall score with two event wins, while Kennen combined the largest field share with two wins of its own. Irelia stands alone at the top of A tier: it remained consistently competitive, but did not clear the S-tier score threshold. Card analysis uses only 1,080 complete, verified decklists and does not report matchup rates.
Master Yi recorded 36 finishes inside the top 10% of its events against 17.7 expected, plus 22 Top 8 finishes and 2 event wins. Its verified lists also converged: Scuttle Crab appeared in 107 of 111, while every verified list played Defy and Discipline.
Kennen led the field with 201 entries, reached 15 Top 8s, and won 2 events. Lightning Rush appeared in every verified list, but Baited Hook appeared in only 14 of 103. That split matters when preparing for Kennen: the results combine its spell-heavy and unit-cheating builds, not a single interchangeable list.
Dazzling Aurora appeared in 45 of 50 verified Jayce lists. Across the conservative 1080-list card sample, Salvage appeared in 265 sideboards, Disarming Rake in 204, Ravenbloom Prefect in 189, and Brittle Steel in 189. Reviewed coverage identifies Ravenbloom Prefect and Salvage as Aurora preparation, but these totals measure broader Gear respect rather than a matchup rate or a single-target sideboard plan.
The most complete body of wins, finishes, and deck evidence. · 2 Legends
Master YiS tierWuju BladesmanThe format leader paired the widest presence with the strongest repeat conversion.No other Legend matched Yi's combination of broad play and repeated high finishes. Its lone-defender shell appeared in all 15 events, then turned 172 entries into 36 top-decile finishes—more than double the 17.7 expected from that field share. Twenty-two Top 8s and two event wins make this more than a popularity ranking: the deck kept converting after opponents had plenty of chances to prepare for it.
Across 111 exact lists, the dominant Body and Calm build remained a lone-defender midrange deck. Wuju Bladesman gives a friendly unit +2 Might while it defends alone, so the deck protects one efficient unit instead of committing several units to the same battlefield. Discipline, Defy, En Garde, and Punch First let that defender win larger Showdowns, while Scuttle Crab supplies cards, information, and XP.
Wuju Bladesman's bonus applies only while a friendly unit defends alone. It does nothing while that unit attacks and disappears when a second friendly unit joins the defense. Defy also has a firm cost limit, and even Rengar creates a tradeoff between adding 6 Might and turning off the Legend's +2. These constraints reward patient sequencing, but they were not enough to keep Yi from the top rank.
Wuju Bladesman gives the lone defender +2 Might. Discipline adds another +2 and draws a card, En Garde can add +2 while the unit remains alone, and Punch First can add +5 during a Showdown. Defy protects that plan by countering a spell costing no more than 4 Energy and 1 Power.
Scuttle Crab draws when played and becomes a 2-Might defender when it defends alone under Wuju Bladesman. When it dies, its Deathknell reveals an opponent's hand, lets you inspect that player's facedown cards for the turn, and grants 1 XP toward Master Yi, Tempered's Level 6 abilities.
Rengar, Trophy Hunter can enter a contested battlefield as a Reaction through Ambush and adds 6 printed Might. Placing it beside the first defender turns off Wuju Bladesman's continuous +2, so the Yi player has to choose when the extra body is worth losing the lone-defender bonus.
KennenS tierHeart of the TempestThe most-played Legend backed its field share with two wins, 15 Top 8s, and two distinct engines.Kennen was the most-played Legend in the window, yet the field never solved it completely. Its recursion-led shell converted 201 entries into 29 top-decile finishes against 20.7 expected, 15 Top 8s, and two wins. Yi still converted more efficiently, but Kennen's added Top 8 and continued breadth move it ahead of Irelia into second place while keeping the S-tier case decisive.
Kennen's primary shell is spell recursion. All 103 exact lists played Lightning Rush, 92 played Fizz, 82 played Rhasa the Sunderer, and 80 played Last Rites. Lightning Rush fills the trash, Fizz replays cheap spells, Rhasa becomes cheaper, and cards played from outside the hand empower Heart of the Tempest. Fourteen lists used Baited Hook as a smaller unit-cheating branch with Spectral Matron, Nocturne, and Xin Zhao.
The spell-recursion build needs the right mix of trash setup, Power, and conquest timing, while the Hook build must sacrifice a unit and hit an eligible target in the top five. Heart of the Tempest also disempowers and exhausts to grant Assault, so that payoff is not repeatable without rebuilding the Legend state. Kennen's results were excellent, but its finish efficiency remained below Yi's.
Lightning Rush keeps one of the top three cards and puts the rest into the trash. That gives Fizz more cheap spells to replay while ignoring their Energy cost and reduces Rhasa the Sunderer's Energy cost for each card in the trash. Fizz still pays Power, and the replayed spell is recycled.
Kennen, Storm of Shuriken burns two cards when played. When it conquers, it gives a spell in the trash Flow equal to that spell's cost for the turn. Playing that spell from the trash also empowers Heart of the Tempest because the card came from outside the hand.
Baited Hook kills a friendly unit, checks the top five cards, and can play a unit with up to 1 more Might while ignoring its cost. Hitting Spectral Matron then lets Matron play a unit costing no more than 3 Energy and 1 Power from the trash. Hook still needs a legal sacrifice and a legal hit in the top five.
Strong tournament decks with one clear step left before the top tier. · 8 Legends
IreliaA tierBlade DancerA settled movement core remained one of the format's largest decks, but its added field share did not produce another deep finish.Irelia's movement core remained nearly as visible as Yi, but the additional event widened the gap between presence and results. Its 167 entries produced 23 top-decile finishes against 17.2 expected, 11 Top 8s, and a runner-up finish. That is still strong conversion, but zero event wins and no additional top-decile finish move Irelia to third and the top of A tier.
Irelia is a Calm and Chaos movement-tempo deck built around choosing and readying the same high-value unit more than once. All 90 exact lists played Defiant Dance, Defy, and Boots of Swiftness; 89 played Discipline, 88 played Stellacorn Herder, and 85 played Guardian Angel. The core is settled, while the remaining slots split among Fizz, Not So Fast, Gust, Twilight Shroud, Adaptatron, Abandon, and Pyke.
Irelia's bonuses are temporary and its best sequences need the right unit to be exhausted, the Legend to be ready, and Power available. The deck also finished without an event win despite its large field share. Its core is proven, but the final protection, bounce, and alternate-threat slots remain open.
Choosing Irelia, Fervent with Defiant Dance gives her +1 Might from her own ability and +2 from the spell. If she is exhausted, Blade Dancer can exhaust and pay 1 Power to ready her, which triggers Fervent again for another +1. The full +4 line needs Fervent exhausted and Blade Dancer ready.
Ride the Wind chooses, moves, and readies one friendly unit. Moving Stellacorn Herder draws a card. Choosing Irelia, Fervent gives her +1 Might, and if she was exhausted, readying her gives another +1. A ready Fervent receives only the choose trigger.
Attaching Guardian Angel chooses Irelia, Fervent, giving her +1 Might for the turn in addition to the Gear's +1 Might. If Fervent is exhausted, Blade Dancer can then ready her for another +1. The Legend must be ready and its 1-Power cost still applies.
DravenA tierGlorious ExecutionerA low-curve combat engine won an event and overperformed, but its branches remain less settled than S tier.Draven's combat engine did enough to remain near the front of A tier: 81 entries produced 13 top-decile finishes against 8.3 expected, four Top 8s, and an event win. The gap to S tier comes from scale and consolidation. Draven appeared less broadly, converted fewer deep finishes, and split its exact lists between control and second-card packages instead of establishing one dominant build.
Draven is a Fury and Chaos combat deck that turns one real combat win into another card. Every one of the 24 exact lists played Stacked Deck and Tideturner, 23 used Spinning Axe and Kai'Sa, Survivor, and 22 used Switcheroo. One branch used Evelynn, Pyke, Vex, and removal to control battlefields; another used Noxus Hopeful, Darius, and Jhin to build second-card turns.
Glorious Executioner draws only after Draven wins a combat, which means the deck must keep solving Showdowns before its Legend pays it back. Spinning Axe can be answered as Gear, and the control and second-card branches ask for different support cards. The results prove a high ceiling, but the field has not converged on one repeatable best build.
Spinning Axe gives its attached unit +3 Might and can enter during a Showdown through Quick-Draw. Switcheroo then swaps the Might of two units at that battlefield for the turn, letting the deck redistribute the larger total before combat. Glorious Executioner draws only if Draven actually wins that combat.
Playing Evelynn, Entrancing from face down on your turn can move an enemy unit from another location to her battlefield. Falling Star can then deal two separate 3-damage hits, concentrating removal where Draven wants to win combat.
Stacked Deck can be the first card played in a turn while selecting the next card from the top three. That turns on Noxus Hopeful's Legion discount, and if Darius, Trifarian is already in play, the second card gives Darius +2 Might for the turn and readies him.
EzrealA tierProdigal ExplorerA smaller field share produced one of the format's strongest rates of deep finishes.Ezreal turned a modest share of the field into one of the window's best conversion rates. Sixty-three entries produced 13 top-decile finishes when 6.5 were expected, plus 10 Top 8s and one win. That efficiency places it near the top of A tier; its smaller field presence and lower overall score keep it behind the two S-tier decks, Irelia, and Draven.
Ezreal is a targeted-spell control deck. Bellows Breath, Stupefy, Wages of Pain, and Gust keep units off favorable battlefields while Fizz replays important spells from the trash. Seventeen of the 23 verified lists paired Pack of Wonders with Treasure Trove, giving the deck a second resource engine after the first exchange.
The Legend has to remain ready and needs two qualifying enemy choices in the same turn. Its answers also have real limits: Gust only returns a unit with 3 Might or less, Star-Crossed returns one of Ezreal's own units, and Thousand-Tailed Watcher does not enable the Legend because it never chooses individual units. Only 23 of 63 registrations support card-level analysis.
Bellows Breath can choose two enemy units at the same location. Those are two separate choices, so the spell can satisfy the Legend ability and let Ezreal exhaust to draw a card.
Fizz can play Bellows Breath from the trash while ignoring its base Energy cost. Its Mind Power still has to be paid, and choosing Repeat adds that mode's Energy and Power cost. Ezreal, Prodigy can reduce either the Energy or Power portion of Repeat, not both.
Pack of Wonders returns another friendly card to hand. Returning Treasure Trove causes Trove to draw a card and channel one rune exhausted as it leaves the board, so the same two-card package keeps cards and runes moving.
Rek'SaiA tierVoid BurrowerRepeat Top 8s established the deck, but the missing win keeps it below the leaders.Rek'Sai's reveal engine proved it could repeat rather than spike once. One hundred two entries across 14 events produced 12 top-decile finishes against 10.5 expected and six Top 8s. That consistency supports A tier, but the deck never won an event and its overperformance was more modest than every Legend above it.
Rek'Sai is a Fury and Order pressure deck built to secure the first conquest, then use the top of the Main Deck as another source of plays. Void Burrower and Void Rush extend that conquest, Rek'Sai, Breacher can let units played from outside the hand enter ready when Accelerate is paid, and Undertitan turns a developed board into another large attack.
The Legend contributes nothing until Rek'Sai conquers, and both reveal effects only see the top two cards. Void Burrower does not discount the selected card, Void Rush only reduces its Energy cost, and Accelerate is still an additional cost. Six Top 8s show consistency, but zero wins limit the S-tier case.
After Rek'Sai conquers, Void Burrower can reveal two cards, play one, and recycle the other. If the played card is Void Rush, that spell reveals two more, reduces the selected card's Energy cost by two, and draws the unbanished card. Power costs still apply.
Revealing Undertitan adds two Energy. Playing it then gives every other friendly unit +2 Might for the turn, so a successful reveal can supply resources, another body, and a wide-board combat increase at once. Undertitan does not give itself the bonus.
Rek'Sai, Breacher gives Accelerate to friendly units played from anywhere other than the hand. A unit found by Void Burrower or Void Rush can therefore enter ready, but only if its additional Accelerate cost is paid.
Kai'SaA tierDaughter of the VoidA visible, proven control deck whose strong results mostly tracked its large share of the field.Kai'Sa's spell-control shell was visible across the field and proved it could win, producing 10 Top 8s and two event titles from 110 entries. Fourteen top-decile finishes were close to the 11.2 expected from its field share, and its normalized finish edge was essentially neutral. That repeat ceiling moves Kai'Sa to seventh and keeps it in A tier without making it an S-tier overperformer.
Kai'Sa is a spell-first control deck built to use Daughter of the Void's spell-only Power. Stupefy, Falling Star, and Thousand-Tailed Watcher appeared in every verified list, with Hextech Ray, Temporal Breach, Time Warp, and Brynhir Thundersong close behind. The deck constricts where units can sit, shrinks developed boards, and uses replay or extra-turn effects to keep control.
Kai'Sa is not short on tools; it is short on elite conversion. The shell was one of the most visible in the format and clearly capable of winning, but its results tracked field expectation more closely than the decks above it. That makes it a real A-tier control deck without making it a top-tier overperformer.
Temporal Breach can banish your Brynhir Thundersong and have you play it again to the same location while ignoring its cost. That retriggers Brynhir's play ability, preventing opponents from playing cards for the rest of that turn.
Void Gate adds one Bonus Damage to spells and abilities that damage units there. Each of Falling Star's two 3-damage hits becomes 4 when it hits a unit at Void Gate, for up to 8 total damage there.
Replaying your Thousand-Tailed Watcher with Temporal Breach gives enemy units -3 Might again for that turn, to a minimum of 1. Breach returns it to the same location, and the reduction remains temporary.
AzirA tierEmperor of the SandsA stable Equipment core converted into a win and several Top 8s without dominating the field.Azir's Equipment and Sand Soldier core showed up throughout the window and proved it could close an event. One win, five Top 8s, and near-full weighted presence establish a real A-tier deck. Its finish edge and top-decile conversion were positive but clearly weaker than the six decks above it, so the win raises the ceiling without erasing the broader gap.
Azir is an Equipment-first Sand Soldier deck. The verified shell uses cheap Gear to unlock Emperor of the Sands and scale Arise!, then turns those tokens into a decisive battlefield with Guards!, Azir, Sovereign, or a Deathgrip combat swing. The Gear, token, and battlefield core was highly consistent across the 27 verified lists.
Azir's core is strong, but the closing configuration is less settled than the decks above it. The data shows a present, competitive deck that can win an event; it does not show S-tier conversion, and only 27 of 87 registrations support card-level conclusions.
Emperor of the Sands can make a Sand Soldier only after you have played Equipment that turn. Arise! then makes one 2-Might Sand Soldier for each Equipment you control and readies up to two of them.
Guards! creates a Sand Soldier and can ready it by paying Order Power. When Azir, Sovereign attacks, it may move any number of your token units to that battlefield, turning a spread board into one focused attack.
Deathgrip can kill an expendable Sand Soldier, give its Might to another friendly unit for the turn, and draw an extra card. That gives the Equipment-token shell a reaction-speed closing line without making Deathgrip universal to every list.
RengarA tierPridestalkerA small but dangerous field share turned into two wins and five Top 8 finishes.Rengar punished the field far more often than its modest presence suggested. Forty-eight entries produced seven top-decile finishes against 4.9 expected, five Top 8s, and two wins. Those results make the pressure deck dangerous enough for A tier, while its lighter field share and week-to-week presence leave Azir ahead on the complete body of evidence.
Rengar is a low-curve Body and Fury pressure deck built around playing extra units and turning each play into temporary Might. Every verified list played Thrill of the Hunt, while most used Kai'Sa, Survivor, Irresistible Faefolk, Punch First, Kinkou Initiate, and other cheap threats that replace themselves or force a conquest.
Rengar's finish ceiling is real, but its stock list is not. The universal core stops at Thrill of the Hunt, and the 16 verified lists split across different reaction packages, removal, and finishers. That makes the deck dangerous but less settled and less broadly represented than the A-tier decks above it.
Thrill of the Hunt banishes a friendly unit, then has its owner play it to any battlefield while ignoring its cost. Because the unit is played again, Pridestalker triggers and gives a unit +1 Might for the turn.
Grim Apothecary can be played as a Reaction where you have units. That play triggers Pridestalker immediately, and Apothecary can return a friendly unit at a battlefield to hand to set up another unit play later.
Punch First gives Kai'Sa, Survivor +5 Might for the turn, helping force the conquest that draws a card. Kai'Sa still has to conquer; the spell does not draw by itself.
NasusA tierCurator of the SandsBroad presence and a real win prove the ceiling, while slower average conversion caps the rank.Nasus combined full-window presence with a real event win and seven Top 8s, giving the threshold deck more proof than a single high roll. Its conversion edge was good rather than elite, however. The deck reached often enough to remain in A tier, but not efficiently enough to pass the faster or more consistent engines above it.
Nasus is a Calm and Mind threshold deck that tries to reach seven in two ways. Find Your Center and the rune package build toward seven runes for Siphoning Strike, while Thousand-Tailed Watcher and other expensive plays trigger Curator of the Sands to ready up to two runes. Cheap interaction stabilizes the board until those thresholds matter.
The bottleneck is tempo. Nasus wants to stabilize and build its Rune Pool early, but its strongest turns ask for expensive cards or a seven-rune setup before the real payoff starts. That tension keeps the ceiling high but the average finish below the upper A-tier decks.
Thousand-Tailed Watcher costs 7 Energy, so playing it satisfies Curator of the Sands and can ready up to two runes. Curator does not trigger from every unit; the played unit, Gear, or activated ability must cost 7 Energy or more.
Siphoning Strike deals 4 damage normally and 7 when you control at least seven runes. It channels a rune exhausted only if the damaged unit dies that turn.
Find Your Center draws a card and channels a rune exhausted, helping the deck reach the seven-rune breakpoint. The new rune enters exhausted, so the spell is setup rather than an immediate resource refund.
Real tournament decks that still miss one part of a cleaner top-table case. · 7 Legends
SivirB tierBattle MistressA small field share produced two Top 8s, but the evidence is not deep enough for A tier.Sivir's leading Aurora branch converted a small field share into meaningful results: 19 entries produced four top-decile finishes against 2.0 expected, two Top 8s, and a fifth-place peak. That is enough overperformance to lead B tier. Zero wins, limited field presence, and only 11 verified lists make an A-tier claim premature.
Seven of the 11 verified Sivir lists used the Aurora package: Dazzling Aurora finds and plays the next unit while ignoring its cost, with Elder Dragon and Platewyrm Egg as the large hits and Mobilize plus Catalyst of Aeons helping the deck reach its expensive cards. The remaining lists used other control packages, so Aurora is the leading branch rather than the only Sivir deck.
Sivir's best results came from very little volume. The deck did not win an event, its best finish was fifth, and four of the 11 verified lists did not use the Aurora package. That leaves a promising high-roll branch, not a settled archetype with enough repeat evidence for A tier.
Dazzling Aurora banishes cards from the top of the Main Deck until it finds a unit, then plays that unit while ignoring its cost. Elder Dragon is the main payoff in the verified Aurora branch, but the spell cannot guarantee which eligible unit appears next.
Elder Dragon makes any damage you deal kill enemy units. Flurry deals 1 damage to every unit at the battlefields, so it can clear enemy units while Elder Dragon is in play. Flurry also damages your own units.
Mobilize and Catalyst of Aeons accelerate the resource plan that leads into Dazzling Aurora and the deck's expensive threats. They support the setup, but neither card determines what Aurora reveals.
DianaB tierScorn of the MoonTwo wins prove the ceiling, but Diana converted below expectation for its large field share.Diana's spell-movement core won two events, proving a ceiling that its average results did not sustain. Ninety-seven entries across 14 events produced nine top-decile finishes against 9.9 expected, three Top 8s, and a slightly negative normalized finish edge. That combination describes a competitive B-tier deck with spike potential, not an A-tier overperformer.
Diana's verified shell is a spell-heavy Mind and Chaos mobility deck. All 47 eligible lists played Hwei, Brooding Painter, Ravenbloom Student, Stupefy, Ride the Wind, Tideturner, Moonfall, and Stacked Deck. Those cards move units, filter cards, and turn repeated spell plays into incremental Might, while the flex slots split among Temporal Breach, Eclipse, Hard Bargain, Flash, and Swain, Visionary.
Diana can win an event, but its aggregate results lagged its own field share. The deck also has a settled core without a settled finish package, which makes its best build less clear than the decks above it. Only 47 of 97 registrations support exact card-level conclusions.
Scorn of the Moon can exhaust to add 1 Energy that can be spent only during Showdowns. Diana, Lunari can spend 1 Energy when a Showdown begins at her battlefield to reveal the top card and draw it if it is a spell.
Tideturner can swap itself with one of your units at another location when played. Moving Hwei, Brooding Painter this way makes Hwei draw one card, discard one, and apply the payoff for the discarded card's type.
Fizz, Trickster can replay a spell from the trash with an Energy cost of 3 or less while ignoring that Energy cost. The deck can reuse Moonfall, Ride the Wind, or Stupefy, but it still pays the spell's Power cost and recycles that spell after play.
LeBlancB tierDeceiverA coherent Deathknell shell has real ceiling, but its broad presence did not convert efficiently.LeBlanc's Deathknell shell appeared across most of the window and reached three Top 8s, including a third-place finish. The same 45 entries produced no wins, five top-decile finishes against 4.6 expected, and a negative normalized finish edge. The deck is established and dangerous, but its average conversion still looks like B tier rather than A.
The exact LeBlanc shell is a Deathknell value deck first. All 23 exact lists played Sacrifice and Mirror Image, while Glasc Mixologist appeared in 20 and Karthus, Eternal in 19. Fifteen lists added Baited Hook and 15 used Harnessed Dragon, making unit cheating a substantial branch rather than the identity of every LeBlanc deck.
LeBlanc's engine is widespread, but the results still show zero wins and a slightly negative finish edge. The Hook package appeared in only part of the exact sample, and 23 of 45 registrations support complete card claims. The ceiling is clear; the best exact configuration and its ability to close repeatedly are not.
West results included two Top 8s, led by a third-place tempo-control list without Baited Hook. CN produced one Top 8, led by a fifth-place Baited Hook build with Harnessed Dragon. Both regions used the same Sacrifice and Deathknell spine, but their strongest branches were different.
Mirror Image creates a Temporary copy. Copying LeBlanc, Fragmented makes that copy die at the start of its controller's Beginning Phase and trigger Fragmented's Deathknell clause. Karthus, Eternal makes that Deathknell trigger one additional time.
Sacrifice can kill Glasc Mixologist as its additional cost, then draw two cards and channel one rune exhausted. Mixologist's Deathknell replays a cheap unit from the trash, and Karthus can make that Deathknell trigger again. Sacrifice still requires a friendly Mighty unit.
Baited Hook can kill the 5-Might Glasc Mixologist, trigger its Deathknell, and search the top five cards for a unit with up to 6 Might. That makes 6-Might Harnessed Dragon a legal hit, and Dragon kills an enemy unit when played. Hook still has to find it in the top five.
JayceB tierDefender of TomorrowAurora gave Jayce a real shell, but 83 entries failed to produce a single Top 8.Jayce's Aurora shell mattered enough to shape deckbuilding and sideboards, but it never reached a Top 8 in this window. Eighty-three entries across 14 events produced six top-decile finishes against 8.5 expected and a best finish of twelfth. The coherent, widely played engine keeps Jayce in B tier; the missing deep finish and below-expected conversion rule out A.
Jayce's leading build is an Aurora ramp shell. Dazzling Aurora and Elder Dragon each appeared in 45 of 50 verified lists, Platewyrm Egg in 42, and Mobilize in 40. The deck accelerates toward Aurora, then uses it to play the next unit from the Main Deck while ignoring its cost. Its chosen Champion remained split among Man of Progress, Brilliant Inventor, and Hammer in Hand.
The engine was popular enough to shape sideboards, but popularity did not become results. Jayce posted no Top 8s, finished below its expected top-decile count, and split its verified lists across three chosen Champions. Aurora is established; the best Jayce configuration and its tournament conversion are not.
Dazzling Aurora banishes cards from the top of the Main Deck until it finds a unit, then plays that unit while ignoring its cost. Elder Dragon and Platewyrm Egg are the common high-end hits, but Aurora cannot choose which eligible unit appears first.
Acceleration Gate can ready up to four units, Gear, and runes. Readying Jayce, Hammer in Hand triggers one of his ready modes. This is a minority branch: Hammer in Hand was chosen in 16 of 50 verified lists, and Acceleration Gate appeared in 19.
Dazzling AuroraSalvageDisarming RakeRavenbloom PrefectBrittle Steel
Dazzling Aurora is Gear, so broad Gear answers such as Salvage, Disarming Rake, Ravenbloom Prefect, and Brittle Steel can attack the engine. Those cards also answer other Gear decks, so their field-wide use is not evidence of Jayce-specific matchups.
ViktorB tierHerald of the ArcaneBoth Viktor branches reached the Top 8, but neither produced a win or above-expected conversion.Viktor's Leader and Innovator branches both reached the Top 8, and one list finished second. That breadth proves the attrition shell has a real ceiling. Four top-decile finishes from 52 entries came in below the 5.4 expected, the normalized finish edge was negative, and neither branch won an event, leaving a B-tier ceiling without A-tier consistency.
Viktor is an Order and Mind attrition deck built around expendable units and efficient removal. All 31 verified lists played Cull the Weak, Hidden Blade, and Imperial Decree, while 30 played Bellows Breath. Twenty-three chose Viktor, Leader and leaned into planned deaths with Carrion Dredger, Shadow's Call, and Sprite Fountain. Eight chose Viktor, Innovator and used cards played on the opponent's turn to create Recruit tokens.
Viktor's strongest sequences require time and multiple resources. Cull the Weak lets the opponent choose their own loss, Hidden Blade replaces the killed unit with two cards for its controller, and the Imperial Decree plus Bellows Breath line is expensive and symmetrical. Those limits explain why a runner-up finish and two more Top 8s never became a win.
Herald of the Arcane can spend 1 Energy and exhaust to play a 1-Might Recruit. Cull the Weak then makes each player kill one of their units, letting Viktor give up the Recruit. The opponent still chooses which of their own units dies.
Shadow's Call draws two cards and gives Carrion Dredger Temporary. When Dredger dies at the start of the next Beginning Phase, its Deathknell plays a Bird with Deflect, and Viktor, Leader can play a Recruit because a non-Recruit unit died. Viktor must still be in play.
Imperial Decree makes any damage kill a unit for the rest of the turn. Bellows Breath can then deal 1 damage to up to three units at one location. The line costs 6 Energy and 3 Power before Repeat, and Decree also applies to friendly units that take damage.
LilliaB tierBashful BloomA stable Sprite core reached three Top 8s, but its finish rate and closing package stayed uneven.Lillia's Sprite engine reached three Top 8s and a runner-up finish, so the deck has more than one isolated result. Its 70 entries produced six top-decile finishes against 7.2 expected and no event win, though, while the closing package remained unsettled. The repeat ceiling supports B tier; the average conversion does not support A.
Lillia's established shell makes and spends Temporary Sprites. Every verified list chose Lillia, Fae Fawn and played Sprite Fountain, Sprite Burst, Defy, and Discipline. The Sprites reduce the Energy cost of Bashful Bloom's ability, provide partners for Smoke and Mirrors, and add ready bodies to Showdowns while Ravenbloom Student turns the same cheap spells into more Might.
Temporary Sprites die at the start of their controller's Beginning Phase before scoring, so the deck must convert their value quickly. Lillia also split its closing slots among several packages instead of settling on one finish. The result was three Top 8s but no win and below-expected top-decile conversion.
Sprite Fountain makes a ready 3-Might Temporary Sprite when played and another through Deathknell when the Gear dies. Sprite Burst makes two ready Temporary Sprites. Each friendly Temporary unit reduces Bashful Bloom's four-Energy ability by one; the Gear itself does not count.
Smoke and Mirrors swaps two friendly units at different locations when at least one has Temporary, then draws a card. Moving Lillia, Fae Fawn this way creates another 3-Might Temporary Sprite where she left.
Ravenbloom Student gets +1 Might for the turn whenever you play a spell. If Discipline targets that Student, it also gives +2 Might and draws a card, for +3 Might total. Both increases last only for the turn.
MelB tierSoul's ReflectionA tournament win proves Mel's ceiling, but the broader spell-control field converted below expectation.Mel's spell-control shell won an event, so the deck's ceiling is not theoretical. The broader 62-entry sample produced only two Top 8s and five top-decile finishes against 6.4 expected, with a negative normalized finish edge. That win and broad presence preserve a B-tier case, but the repeat consistency trails every deck above it.
Mel's verified lists converge on a Mind and Chaos spell-control shell rather than one locked build. Every eligible list played Stupefy and Rebuttal, while most used Stacked Deck, Star-Crossed, Fizz, Trickster, Ravenbloom Student, and Shock Blast. Twenty-two of 27 lists chose Mel, Newly Awakened. A smaller Hwei package used Ride the Wind and Tideturner to trigger Hwei's movement ability.
The control package asks for setup and careful sequencing. Applied Researchers needs four Energy to enter and another three to become Empowered before its discounts apply. Soul's Reflection spends its Empowered state and exhausts for one temporary Might reduction, while Fizz still needs the right spell in the trash and must pay its Power cost. The event-winning list was unavailable, so its exact package cannot support card claims.
Empowering Applied Researchers also empowers Soul's Reflection. Researchers then reduces spell costs by 1 Energy and 1 Power, while Shock Blast gets its own 2-Energy reduction because you control something Empowered. Together those reductions can take Shock Blast to 1 Energy and no Power. Mel's Legend ability separately spends her Empowered state and exhausts her.
Playing Stupefy gives Ravenbloom Student +1 Might for the turn, lowers a chosen unit's Might, and draws a card. If Mel, Newly Awakened is Empowered, her ability adds another -1 Might to that chosen-unit effect. Stupefy cannot reduce the unit below 1 Might.
Fizz, Trickster can play Star-Crossed from the trash while ignoring its Energy cost. Star-Crossed can return Fizz and an enemy unit to their owners' hands, preserving Fizz for another play. Its Power cost is still paid, and the replayed spell is recycled.
Playable plans that showed up, but not often enough or cleanly enough yet. · 12 Legends
VolibearC tierRelentless StormVolibear produced one of the window's strongest finish spikes, but six entries are not enough to call it established.Volibear's Mighty Dragon shell produced an excellent result from almost no volume. Six entries across four events generated two top-decile finishes against only 0.6 expected, including a fifth-place Top 8. That spike earns the highest C-tier position, but one Top 8, no wins, and a five-list card sample cannot establish repeatability.
Every verified list used Body and Fury runes, chose Volibear, Furious, and played Kadregrin the Infernal. Four of five lists used Herald of Scales, Gentle Gemdragon, and Elder Dragon as a direct Dragon-ramp package. Two used Dazzling Aurora to play the next revealed unit while ignoring its cost. Those packages overlap, so the evidence points to one Mighty core with different ways to reach its expensive threats.
The deck's strongest cards are expensive, and Relentless Storm channels its rune exhausted only after the Mighty unit has been played. Dazzling Aurora cannot choose its hit, while the direct Dragon plan still pays substantial Energy and Power costs. Only five registrations have verified card data, and those lists came from three events. The fifth-place ceiling is proven; consistency across a larger field is not.
Playing Gentle Gemdragon triggers both Relentless Storm and Gemdragon. Put Gemdragon's trigger on the chain first and Relentless Storm's above it. Relentless Storm channels one rune exhausted, then Gemdragon can ready that rune. Relentless Storm must be ready before the play.
Dazzling Aurora reveals cards until it finds a unit, then plays that unit while ignoring its cost. If it finds Kadregrin the Infernal, Kadregrin draws one card for each Mighty unit you control. Aurora cannot choose Kadregrin, and this package appeared in only two verified lists.
While Elder Dragon is in play, any damage you deal kills an enemy unit. Flurry of Blades therefore kills each enemy unit it damages at the battlefields, although it also damages your units. Volibear, Furious can split its 5 damage among enemy units at its battlefield, and Elder makes every unit assigned damage die.
Miss FortuneC tierBounty HunterA powerful Aurora endgame exists, but three entries and zero Top 8s leave it unproven.Miss Fortune ranks sixteenth in C tier because the window recorded only three entries across three events. One finished inside the top 10% of its event against 0.31 expected, but none reached the Top 8 and the Legend recorded no wins. The best finish was twenty-ninth. That shows a possible ceiling without establishing repeat performance.
The one verified complete list is a Body and Chaos Aurora ramp deck with Miss Fortune, Captain as its chosen Champion. Catalyst of Aeons, Mobilize, and the Pack of Wonders plus Treasure Trove engine build additional runes, while Stacked Deck, Scryer's Bloom, and Lunar Boon help find the expensive payoff. Dazzling Aurora then plays the next unit it reveals while ignoring its cost. Three copies make Elder Dragon the most numerous unit target, with Baron Nashor and Mindsplitter as the other possible hits. Miss Fortune, Captain can move between battlefields and may ready something else the first time she moves each turn.
The ceiling is high, but the setup is slow and the evidence is thin. Dazzling Aurora costs 9 Energy and 2 Power, the runes added by the deck's channel effects enter exhausted, and Aurora cannot choose which unit it reveals. More importantly, three entries produced no Top 8 and no win. Only the forty-seventh-place list supports exact card-level analysis; the twenty-ninth-place list was source-incomplete.
Pack of Wonders can return Treasure Trove to its owner's hand. That makes Treasure Trove leave the board, so it draws a card and channels one rune exhausted. The new rune supports a later turn; it is not ready Power immediately.
Dazzling Aurora can reveal and play Elder Dragon while ignoring its cost. Once Elder Dragon is in play, Flurry of Blades deals enough damage to kill every enemy unit it hits at the battlefields, although it also deals 1 damage to friendly units. Paying 1 Power into Bullet Time similarly kills every enemy unit at one chosen battlefield.
Bounty Hunter can exhaust to give Baron Nashor Ganking for the turn, allowing Baron to move from Baron Pit to another battlefield. This grants movement permission but does not ready Baron. Baron remains a 12-Might threat that cannot be chosen by enemy spells or abilities and gives other friendly units +2 Might.
AnnieC tierDark ChildAnnie's sequencing shell is coherent, but 14 entries produced no Top 8 and only three complete lists support card-level conclusions.Annie ranks twentieth in C tier because 14 entries across six events produced one top-decile finish against 1.4 expected. Its best finish was sixteenth, with no Top 8s and no wins. That result is meaningful, but the window lacks the repeated high finishes needed to move Annie above C tier.
All three verified complete lists chose Annie, Stubborn and played Kai'Sa, Survivor, Stacked Deck, and Traveling Merchant. Stacked Deck selects one of the top three cards, while Traveling Merchant discards one card and then draws one when it moves. A cheap first card activates Noxus Hopeful's Legion discount; Kai'Sa can pay Accelerate to enter ready and draws when it conquers; Annie, Stubborn returns a spell from trash to hand. The support slots still vary across the small sample, so the exact finish package is not established.
Only three of 14 entries met the exact-zone and identity requirements for card analysis, and their support packages still differed. The engine also needs careful sequencing: Noxus Hopeful requires a prior card, Kai'Sa's Accelerate requires additional Energy and a Fury rune, and Dark Child readies runes without restoring the Energy needed to use them. One sixteenth-place result is not enough to prove a settled build.
Play Stacked Deck first to look at the top three cards, put one into your hand, and recycle the other two. Noxus Hopeful then has Legion active and costs 2 Energy less, reducing its cost from 4 Energy to 2.
Ride the Wind moves and readies Traveling Merchant. Moving Merchant triggers its ability, making you discard one card and then draw one. The discard happens before the draw.
Annie, Stubborn returns a spell from trash to hand when played. If she returns Star-Crossed, Dark Child can ready the Chaos rune needed for its 1 Power cost at the end of the turn. The recovered Reaction is available during the opponent's turn only if 3 Energy is also available.
LucianC tierPurifierEquipment gives Lucian a coherent redeploy engine, but one deep finish leaves it unproven above C tier.Lucian's Equipment-redeploy plan reached sixth, proving that the engine can finish at a top table. The rest of the record is thin: 14 entries across six events produced no second Top 8, no win, and one top-decile finish against 1.4 expected. Because the sixth-place list was unavailable and the best verified list finished eleventh, both repeat conversion and exact build evidence remain short of B tier.
Lucian is a Body and Fury Equipment-tempo deck. Purifier makes each Equipment grant Assault, adding +1 Might while its unit attacks. Lucian, Merciless can attach Equipment for 1 less Power when played, then readies after his first conquest each turn. Relentless Pursuit moves an attacker, can attach Equipment to it, and may return it to base after conquest. All six verified lists shared that spine while varying the Gear and secondary threats.
Purifier adds Might only while an equipped unit attacks, so it does not strengthen defenders or units without Equipment. Lucian, Merciless readies only after his first conquest each turn; losing the Showdown or being removed stops the redeployment line. The only Top 8 list was unavailable, and the verified lists did not agree on one support package.
Purifier gives each Equipment Assault, so every attached Gear adds another +1 Might while its unit attacks. Lucian, Merciless can equip one Equipment to himself for 1 less Power when played. Doran's Blade therefore gives its printed +2 Might and another +1 while Lucian attacks.
Relentless Pursuit moves a friendly unit, may attach Equipment to it, and gives that unit a conquer trigger that may return it to base. If Lucian, Merciless conquers for the first time that turn, he also readies. After both triggers resolve, he can be ready at base. The line requires a conquest and works once each turn.
While you control Forge of the Fluft, Purifier can exhaust to attach one of your Equipment to a unit you control. This uses the ability granted by Forge instead of the Gear's printed Equip ability, so that Equip cost is not paid. The new bearer receives the Gear's printed Might and its Assault bonus while attacking.
VexC tierGloomistVex reached one Top 8, but its reactive shell converted less often than its broad tournament presence suggested.Vex's defensive spell core reached eighth once and appeared in 14 of 15 events, so the strategy is real and widely tested. The larger record was weaker: 42 entries produced only two top-decile finishes against 4.3 expected, a slightly negative finish edge, and no wins. One Top 8 preserves a C-tier case; the lack of repeat conversion blocks B tier.
Every verified list chose Vex, Apathetic and played Defy and Discipline. Apathetic stuns each unit an opponent plays while she is at a battlefield and stops that unit from moving for the turn. The surrounding Reactions protect a defensive position, change combat totals, and move or return enemy units. If those tools let Vex hold, Gloomist can exhaust to draw another card. The reactive core was stable, but the unit package split among Irelia, Evelynn and Mutated Mouser, plus a smaller Fizz branch.
Both of Vex's central payoffs depend on already having the right position. Gloomist draws only after you or an ally holds and only if the Legend is ready to exhaust. Vex, Apathetic must be at a battlefield before the opponent plays the unit she stuns. When the opponent wins the contested battlefield or pressures another one, neither card automatically restores control. The stable spell core also has not produced one clearly dominant unit package.
Discipline gives a unit +2 Might for the turn and draws one card. If that boost helps you or an ally hold, Gloomist may then exhaust to draw another card. Gloomist does not draw merely because combat happened: your side must hold, and the Legend must be ready to exhaust.
While Vex, Apathetic is at a battlefield, each unit the opponent plays is stunned and cannot move that turn. Charm moves an enemy unit that is already in play. Apathetic does not stun units played before she reached a battlefield, and Deflect adds a cost to opposing effects rather than making her untargetable.
Fizz, Trickster may play a spell costing no more than 3 Energy from the trash while ignoring its Energy cost. That can reuse Discipline, Charm, or Star-Crossed when the spell has legal targets. Its Power cost still applies, and the spell is recycled after it is played. Fizz appeared in seven of 22 verified lists, so this is a branch rather than the universal engine.
Kha'ZixC tierVoidreaverKha'Zix was played often enough to matter, but its skirmish shell converted well below that level of interest.Kha'Zix reached sixth once, but that was the exception inside a much larger sample. Fifty-one entries across 13 events produced one Top 8, no wins, and three top-decile finishes against 5.2 expected. The deck's repeated presence proves it belongs in the metagame; its negative finish edge and below-expected conversion keep it in C tier.
Kha'Zix is a Body and Chaos combat deck that engineers an isolated fight, wins it with a large temporary Might increase, and turns that combat into XP. All 15 verified lists chose Kha'Zix, Mutating Horror and played Void Assault. Fourteen played Irresistible Faefolk, Stacked Deck, Punch First, and Ride the Wind; 13 played Grim Resolve, Star-Crossed, and Fizz, Trickster. The shared plan is clear, but the remaining units split across several tempo and pressure packages.
The deck needs several pieces to line up: movement must isolate the right enemy, the combat pump must survive interaction, and the resulting XP still has to become another useful action. Only 15 of 51 registrations have verified complete lists, and those lists do not converge on one support package. The field played Kha'Zix enough to test the idea thoroughly, but the finish record remained weaker than its adoption.
Void Assault moves one friendly unit and then one enemy unit. If both move to a battlefield you do not control, the Kha'Zix player becomes the attacker. When Kha'Zix, Mutating Horror attacks or defends, it gets +2 Might and grants 2 XP only if an enemy unit is alone at that battlefield when the trigger resolves.
Demacian Diplomat grants 1 XP when played. Grim Resolve gives it +3 Might and grants 2 XP if that unit wins a combat that turn, while Voidreaver grants another 1 XP whenever you win a combat. Voidreaver's spend abilities both exhaust the Legend, so gaining enough XP for several options does not let it activate several times without being readied.
Fizz, Trickster can play Void Assault from the trash because the spell costs no more than 3 Energy. Fizz ignores Void Assault's Energy cost, but its 1 Chaos Power still has to be paid, and the spell is recycled after it is played. The Chaos branch gets another positioning swing, not a permanent recursion loop.
FioraC tierGrand DuelistA fourth-place finish proved Fiora's ceiling, but the Mighty engine converted far less often than its field share predicted.Fiora's Mighty engine reached fourth once, but the field had 52 chances across 13 events to repeat that result. Only two entries reached the top 10% of their events against 5.3 expected, and none won. The high-end finish keeps Fiora competitive; the large gap between potential and repeat conversion pushes it to the bottom of C tier.
Fiora is a Body and Order midrange deck built around crossing the 5-Might threshold at the right moment. All 29 verified lists played Punch First and Riposte, while 24 played Rampage and First Mate. Those spells can make a unit Mighty during a Showdown. If Grand Duelist is ready, it may exhaust to channel one rune exhausted. Seventeen lists chose Fiora, Victorious for Deflect, Ganking, and Shield while Mighty; 12 chose Fiora, Worthy to ready a unit after it becomes Mighty. Kayle, Justified appeared in 16 lists and becomes a 9-Might unit with Deflect 3 and Ganking after her third Empowerment.
Fiora's resource payoff is delayed and sequencing-sensitive. Grand Duelist channels its rune exhausted, then remains exhausted until it is readied. Its ability also requires a real change from below 5 Might to at least 5; adding more Might to a unit that is already Mighty does not trigger it again. The verified lists divide between two chosen Champions and several resource and top-end packages, leaving Fiora with a demonstrated ceiling but no single build that converted repeatedly in this window.
Punch First can push a unit across the 5-Might threshold. Riposte can do the same while countering a spell if that spell's Energy cost adds enough Might. Rampage adds 2 Might when its additional Body Power is paid before the chosen units deal damage. If Grand Duelist is ready, it may then exhaust to channel one rune exhausted. Increasing the Might of a unit that was already Mighty does not create another trigger.
Pit Rookie can buff another friendly unit and take Fiora, Victorious from 4 to 5 Might. Victorious then has Deflect, Ganking, and Shield while she remains Mighty. Fiora, Worthy instead lets its controller pay 1 Order Power to ready any controlled unit that becomes Mighty. Grand Duelist and Worthy require a true threshold crossing; Victorious's abilities remain active while she has at least 5 Might.
The fourth-place Fiora list played Rift Herald, Sacrifice, and Harnessed Dragon. Sacrifice can kill the 7-Might Herald as its additional cost. Herald's Deathknell is added to the chain during that kill and can play Harnessed Dragon from hand while ignoring its 8-Energy cost; the Dragon's 2 Order Power still applies. Harnessed Dragon then kills an enemy unit when played, before Sacrifice later draws two cards and channels one rune exhausted.
OrnnC tierFire Below the MountainOrnn's Gear engine is coherent and reached one Top 8, but its broader conversion stayed below expectation.Ornn's Gear engine appeared 33 times across 12 events and reached seventh, enough to establish a real strategy rather than a novelty. Only two entries finished inside the top 10% of their events against 3.4 expected, and the deck recorded no win. The engine works; its conversion does not yet justify B tier.
Fire Below the Mountain adds one wildcard Power that can be spent only to play Gear or use Gear abilities. All 12 verified lists played Sprite Fountain and Defy, while 10 also played Scuttle Crab, Thousand-Tailed Watcher, and Shurelya's Requiem. Seven chose Ornn, Forge God as the Gear-count payoff; five chose Ornn, Blacksmith to search the top four cards for Gear.
Ornn's payoffs remain conditional. The Legend's added Power cannot pay for units or spells, Blacksmith can miss if the top four cards contain no Gear, and Forge God starts at 4 Might before other Gear increases it. The two chosen-Champion plans also split a small verified sample, while the tournament record produced fewer top-decile finishes than expected.
Fire Below the Mountain can provide the Power in Sprite Fountain's cost. Fountain immediately plays a ready 3-Might Temporary Sprite, and its Deathknell repeats that play effect when the Gear dies. While Fountain remains in play, it also gives Ornn, Forge God +1 Might as a friendly Gear.
Ornn, Blacksmith looks at the top four cards and may draw a Gear when played or when it holds. Ornn's Forge then reduces the Energy cost of the first friendly non-token Gear played each turn by one. Forge does not improve Blacksmith's chance of finding Gear.
Shurelya's Requiem gives its holder +2 Might and normally costs 1 Power to equip. Ornn, Forge God can equip an Equipment to itself for 1 less Power when played, reducing that cost to zero. Shurelya also remains a friendly Gear, so it supplies another +1 Might through Forge God's ability.
LuxC tierLady of LuminosityLux has a real podium ceiling, but one Top 8 from 10 entries leaves the spell engine unproven above C tier.Lux's spell-resource engine produced a third-place finish, the strongest single result in this part of C tier. It did not produce a second Top 8 or an event win from 10 entries, while its one top-decile finish matched the 1.0 expected and its normalized finish edge was slightly negative. The podium ceiling is verified; repeatability is not.
All 10 verified lists played Lux, Crownguard and Progress Day. Nine played Forge of the Future, Ekko, Recurrent, and Sacrifice; eight played Soaring Scout and Shadow's Call; and seven played Seal of Insight. Forge creates a Recruit and can recycle cards later. Soaring Scout channels an exhausted rune when it dies, while Sacrifice and Shadow's Call turn selected units into cards and Deathknell value. Lux, Crownguard adds Energy that can be spent only on spells, helping the deck reach Progress Day or the Promising Future and Time Warp endgame.
Lady of Luminosity draws only when Lux plays a spell costing at least 5 Energy, so the deck's cheap interaction does not trigger the Legend. Its resource engine also gives up battlefield pressure: Lux, Crownguard exhausts to add spell-only Energy, Sacrifice kills a Mighty unit, and a unit given Temporary by Shadow's Call dies before scoring. Promising Future is symmetrical and lets the next player act first. One podium finish proves the ceiling, but not a repeatable B-tier result.
Lux, Crownguard can exhaust to add 2 Energy that may be spent only on spells. Progress Day still needs its remaining Energy and 1 Mind Power. Progress Day draws four cards when it resolves, and playing the 6-Energy spell triggers Lady of Luminosity to draw another. A countered Progress Day does not provide the four-card draw.
Sacrifice kills the 5-Might Ekko, Recurrent as an additional cost. Ekko's Deathknell is added to the chain during that kill and readies your runes before Sacrifice resolves. Sacrifice then draws two cards and channels one new rune exhausted, so the newly channeled rune remains exhausted.
Promising Future can select Time Warp from the top five cards and play it while ignoring its 10-Energy cost. Time Warp's 4 Mind Power must still be paid. The opponent also selects a card, the next player plays first, and Time Warp may not be among the five cards Lux examines.
AmbessaC tierMatriarch of WarAmbessa was a real Body and Order combat deck in this window, but it did not convert often enough to sit with the proven midrange winners.Ambessa ranks twenty-seventh because the field gave it real volume without real payoff. It logged 36 registrations across 10 events, but only two top-decile finishes against 3.71 expected, with one Top 8, no wins, and a best placement of seventh. Its field presence was credible, but its finish metrics lagged, which is why it lands below the established tournament decks instead of beside them.
The 12 verified Ambessa lists form a Body and Order bruiser shell that tries to win one battlefield with an oversized unit, then turn that size into removal. Every list chose Ambessa, The Wolf and played Legion Marauder plus Punch First. Eleven played Rampage and Guttural Roar, while most also used Pit Rookie, Public Execution, First Mate, and Sabotage. The support packages split between Kayle, Rengar, Solari Sunhawk, and smaller Jayce-Akshan branches, so the core is clear even though the best finish package is not.
Ambessa's strongest cards are better when it already has the largest unit in play. If that first threat does not stick, Rampage, Public Execution, and the pump package lose efficiency. The support slots also never converged: six lists played Kayle, five used a Rengar package, four used Solari Sunhawk, and three paired Jayce with Akshan. That fragmentation and the weak top-finish rate keep a real shell below the proven decks.
Whenever you empower something else, Matriarch of War becomes empowered too. Legion Marauder has its own inexpensive empower ability, so one payment can grow Marauder and turn on the Legend. Ambessa can later disempower herself, pay 1 Power, and exhaust to ready a unit. The ready is not free: it spends the Legend's empowered state and exhausts her.
Guttural Roar gives a unit +2 Might for the turn, or +4 if that unit is empowered. Ambessa, The Wolf gains +3 Might and cannot be dealt damage outside combat after she is empowered, so Roar becomes a much larger combat swing once she is online. A target that is not empowered receives only +2 Might.
Punch First gives a friendly unit +5 Might for the turn. Public Execution can then kill an enemy unit with less Might than that friendly unit. This lets a medium-sized body enable removal for the turn, but the kill still fails if the enemy's Might is equal to or greater than the chosen friendly unit's current Might.
LeonaC tierRadiant DawnLeona showed a real stun shell, but seven entries and a ninth-place ceiling leave it on the C-tier fringe.Leona appeared seven times across four events, with one top-decile finish, no Top 8s, and no wins. Its best result was ninth. Six verified lists share enough of a stun core to prove the deck is more than a one-off experiment, but the sample and finish ceiling are both too small to move it above the more established C-tier decks.
Leona is a Calm and Mind stun-tempo deck that turns each stun into a buff. All six verified lists played Defy, Discipline, Vi, Peacekeeper, Back Off, Call to Glory, and Zhonya's Hourglass, while five played Kennen, Keeper of Balance. Those stun effects trigger Radiant Dawn, then Call to Glory can spend the resulting buff to ignore its own cost. Five lists chose Leona, Determined as an attack-side stun source; one chose Leona, Zealot to reduce the Might of stunned enemies at her battlefield.
Radiant Dawn cannot create pressure until another card stuns one or more enemy units, and its buff does not win a Showdown by itself. Determined only stuns when she attacks, while Zealot matters only against stunned enemies at her own battlefield. With six verified lists, no Top 8s, and no event win, the shell has a coherent plan but not enough repeat evidence for a higher tier.
Radiant Dawn buffs one friendly unit whenever you stun one or more enemy units. Call to Glory may spend that buff as an additional cost to ignore the spell's Energy and Power cost, then gives a unit +3 Might for the turn. One effect that stuns several units creates one Radiant Dawn trigger, not one trigger per enemy.
Five of the six verified lists chose Leona, Determined. Her attack trigger stuns one enemy at her battlefield, which can trigger Radiant Dawn before combat damage. Zenith Blade can stun an enemy first and move a friendly unit to that battlefield, but Determined still has to attack before her own stun occurs.
The remaining verified list chose Leona, Zealot. At her battlefield, stunned enemy units have -8 Might to a minimum of 1. Back Off can stun one of those units during a Showdown and draws a card when played from hand. This interaction belongs to the one-list Zealot branch, not the five Determined lists.
Master YiC tierWuju MasterThe XP shell stayed visible across the window, but it never produced the finish needed to justify a higher tier.Twenty-three registrations across nine events make Wuju Master a recurring deck rather than a one-off experiment. None of those entries reached the top 10% of an event, however, against 2.35 expected. A nineteenth-place best finish, no Top 8s, and no wins leave the deck without the conversion needed to escape the bottom tier, even though its slightly positive average finish edge keeps it ahead of the weakest fringe results.
Wuju Master is a Calm XP deck that front-loads Hunt units and other XP sources, then turns several Level abilities on at once. All eight verified lists chose Master Yi, Tempered and played Gemhand Hunter, Defy, Discipline, Wuju Apprentice, Master Yi, Unstoppable, Punch First, Scuttle Crab, and Back Off. Seven also played Concentrate, Grim Resolve, and Zhonya's Hourglass. Six XP upgrades the board and card flow; eleven XP makes every unit enter ready and discounts Unstoppable again.
The verified lists are consistent enough that an unsettled build is not the main problem. Wuju Master contributes nothing before six XP, Wuju Apprentice remains a small Hunt unit before that threshold, and Master Yi, Unstoppable stays expensive until the XP engine is already working. The deck spends its opening turns building toward efficiency while the strongest Vendetta decks are already contesting points.
Herald of Spring grants 2 XP when played and has Hunt, which grants another 1 XP if it later conquers or holds. One copy can therefore provide half of the six XP needed for Wuju Master's first teamwide bonus, but the third XP still requires Herald to score a battlefield result.
Grim Resolve gives one friendly unit +3 Might and grants 2 XP if that unit wins a combat that turn. Gemhand Hunter adds 1 more XP through Hunt when it conquers or holds, while Master Yi, Tempered adds 2 through Hunt 2. The combat must still be won, and Grim Resolve's extra XP applies only to the unit it chose.
At six XP, Wuju Master gives every unit +1 Might, Wuju Apprentice draws a card when played, Concentrate costs 2 Energy less, and Master Yi, Unstoppable receives its larger Level 6 discount. At eleven XP, Wuju Master also makes units enter ready and Unstoppable's discount increases again. None of those upgrades applies before its printed threshold.
Results were too thin in this window to justify a higher tier. · 18 Legends
AkaliD tierRogue AssassinAkali was widely played and structurally coherent, but its movement engine never produced a top-decile finish.Akali ranks thirtieth in D tier after 75 registrations across 14 of 15 events. This is not a sparse-sample result: Akali recorded no top-decile finish against 7.7 expected, no Top 8, and no event win. Its best placement was fifteenth, and its normalized finish edge was -0.103.
Akali is a Fury and Calm deck that moves the same unit more than once to generate value. All 45 verified lists played Defy and Shuriken Flip, 44 played Discipline, and 41 played Stellacorn Herder. Shuriken Flip can turn a move into a card with Stellacorn Herder or into 1 Energy and 1 Power with Jhin, Murderous Artist, which appeared in 28 lists. Scuttle Crab and Zhonya's Hourglass each appeared in 37 lists as additional card flow, information, and protection. The chosen Champion defines the payoff: 28 lists chose Akali, Silent for temporary Might, while 17 chose Akali, Deadly Weapon for damage when she moves.
The movement engine has narrow windows. Rogue Assassin can move a unit from a Showdown to base only on your turn, must exhaust to do it, and does not ready that unit until the Legend is empowered. Shuriken Flip moves only one friendly unit, so one resolution cannot trigger both Stellacorn Herder and Jhin. Akali, Silent gains Might only when she moves to a battlefield, while Akali, Deadly Weapon can damage only a unit at a battlefield she moved to or from. The tournament results show that the shell did not overcome those restrictions in this window.
All 45 verified lists played Shuriken Flip; 41 played Stellacorn Herder and 28 played Jhin, Murderous Artist. Moving Stellacorn Herder draws a card, while moving Jhin adds 1 Energy and 1 Power. Only the damage target on Shuriken Flip says 'up to one'; the friendly move is required if possible. Each resolution moves one friendly unit, so it cannot trigger both payoffs.
Twenty-eight of 45 verified lists chose Akali, Silent. On your turn, Rogue Assassin can exhaust to move a friendly unit from a Showdown to base. If the Legend is empowered, it also readies that unit. Moving Silent from base to a battlefield later that turn gives her +2 Might; each separate move to a battlefield creates another +2. The move to base does not trigger that bonus.
Seventeen of 44 verified lists chose Akali, Deadly Weapon, and all 17 played Shuriken Flip. After Shuriken Flip deals 2, moving Deadly Weapon may deal another 1 to a unit at the battlefield she entered or left, or 2 if she is empowered. A surviving eligible unit can therefore take 3 total damage, or 4 while Deadly Weapon is empowered. Her movement damage is optional and cannot reach a unit at an unrelated battlefield.
DariusD tierHand of NoxusOne exact list preserves a coherent second-card engine, but its lone result cannot establish a competitive archetype.Darius enters the ranking at thirty-first in D tier. The 15-event window contains one registration, one exact list, no top-decile finish, no Top 8, and no win. Its only result was 75th place, so the evidence supports analysis of one build rather than a claim that Darius is established in the metagame.
The one exact list chose Darius, Trifarian and used cheap first plays to make its second card more valuable. Noxus Hopeful becomes cheaper through Legion, Vanguard Captain makes two Recruit tokens through Legion, and either one can be the second card that gives Darius +2 Might and readies him. Kai'Sa, Survivor adds another ready threat, while Shadow's Call and Sacrifice turn developed units into cards.
The sequence needs Darius in play, a useful first card, and a second card worth committing before the ready trigger matters. The deck also divides its support between Legion, Mighty-death, and token packages. With one 75th-place result, there is no evidence yet that this flexible engine converts more reliably than a focused Vendetta deck.
After another card has been played, Noxus Hopeful costs 2 less and Vanguard Captain plays two Recruit tokens when it enters. If either is the second card of the turn, Darius, Trifarian also gains +2 Might for the turn and readies.
Shadow's Call gives a non-Temporary friendly unit Temporary and draws two cards. Giving it to a Mighty Unsung Hero schedules that unit to die at the start of its controller's next Beginning Phase, when Unsung Hero's Deathknell draws two more cards.
Ferrous Forerunner is Mighty, so it can pay Sacrifice's additional cost. Killing it adds its Deathknell above Sacrifice on the chain, so the two 3-Might Mech tokens reach base before Sacrifice draws two cards and channels one rune exhausted.
RenektonD tierButcher of the SandsOne preserved low-rune combat list shows a real idea, but five registrations produced no meaningful finish.Renekton ranks thirty-second because five registrations across three events produced no top-decile finishes, no Top 8s, and no wins. The best result was thirty-fifth. Four of those five decklists are source-incomplete, leaving one exact-zone list for card analysis. That list can document a configuration; it cannot establish a stable Vendetta archetype.
The one verified list is a Fury and Body low-rune combat deck. It chose Renekton, Rage Fueled and used cheap units, ready effects, and Accelerate threats to maintain pressure while staying at four or fewer runes. Kai'Sa, Survivor and Rengar, Trophy Hunter supply proactive threats, while Gem Jammer adds Ganking and Punch First increases the size of a key Showdown. This describes the preserved Wuhan list, not every Renekton registration.
The low-rune threshold constrains development: Renekton's sweep and Protective Sands stop working above four runes. The tournament record also never produced a breakout finish, and four incomplete lists prevent a broader comparison of alternate builds. Renekton stays near the bottom because both the results and the trustworthy deck evidence are thin.
When Renekton, Rage Fueled attacks while you control four or fewer runes, he deals 2 to every enemy unit at that battlefield. Punch First can then give him +5 Might for the turn so he attacks as a much larger unit after the sweep. The damage happens only when Renekton attacks, and only while the low-rune condition is met.
Renekton, Rage Fueled and Protective Sands both require four or fewer runes. If the attack becomes a conquest, Protective Sands lets its controller pay 1 Energy to draw a card. The battlefield does not draw automatically, and moving above four runes turns off both payoffs.
Gem Jammer gives a unit Ganking for the turn when it is played. Giving that ability to Kai'Sa, Survivor lets her move from one battlefield to another, where a conquest draws a card. Ganking does not move her from base and does not create another conquest by itself.
PoppyD tierKeeper of the HammerPoppy has a functional XP engine that can turn holds into cards or extra unit activations, but the field gave it no competitive conversion and only one list we can audit.Poppy ranks thirty-third in D tier. Eight registrations across five events produced no top-decile finishes against 0.82 expected, no Top 8s, no wins, and a -0.041 normalized finish edge. The best registration finished thirty-sixth, but its decklist was unavailable; the only verified complete list finished one-hundredth. That makes the engine identifiable, but the competitive build remains unproven.
The single verified list is a Body and Order XP-control shell. Keeper of the Hammer gains XP from holds, while Voracious Gromp, Shepherd's Heirloom, Stare Down, Blood Rose, and a conditional Poppy, Paragon can add more. The deck spends XP to draw through Poppy's legend ability or ready a unit through Blood Rose. Wily Newtfish turns an XP gain into 5 Might and Ganking for the turn, while Keeper's Verdict, Stare Down, Cull the Weak, Repulse, and Tactical Retreat manage the battlefields.
Poppy, Paragon's largest XP burst works only when an opponent is within three points of the Victory Score. Before that, XP comes from conquering, holding, or cards that require their own setup and costs. The deck also divides the same XP among drawing with the Legend, readying with Blood Rose, and equipping Shepherd's Heirloom. Most importantly, one verified complete list cannot establish a repeatable core, and none of the eight registrations produced a finish that supports the engine as tournament-ready.
If an opponent is within 3 points of the Victory Score when you play Poppy, Paragon, she readies herself and you gain 3 XP. You can spend those 3 XP and exhaust Keeper of the Hammer to draw one, or spend them and exhaust Blood Rose to ready a unit. The same 3 XP cannot pay both abilities, and neither bonus happens if the score condition is not met.
Shepherd's Heirloom gains 1 XP when played, and Stare Down gains 1 XP after moving smaller enemy units to base. Once you have gained XP that turn, Wily Newtfish has +1 Might and Ganking, making it 5 Might and allowing it to move from one battlefield to another. The bonus lasts only for that turn, and Ganking does not move Newtfish from base or ready it.
Cull the Weak makes each player kill one of their own units. Killing Carrion Dredger on your side triggers its Deathknell and plays a 1-Might Bird with Deflect to your base. You still lose Carrion Dredger, the Bird does not enter a battlefield, and the opponent chooses which of their units dies.
PykeD tierBloodharbor RipperPyke established a real bounce-and-burn shell across the field, but it produced no Top 8s and substantially fewer top-decile finishes than expected.Pyke ranks thirty-fourth because 39 registrations across 13 events produced zero finishes inside the top 10% of an event against 4.0 expected. Its best finish was twelfth, with no Top 8s and no wins. Sixteen verified lists show a real shell instead of a one-off experiment, but the sealed results still place it in D tier.
Pyke is a Fury and Chaos tempo deck that returns its own units to hand, creates delayed Power through Gold, and reuses Play abilities. All 16 verified lists played Stacked Deck and Falling Star; 15 played Bewitching Spirit and Fizz, Trickster; and 13 played Treasure Hunter, Void Seeker, and Tail-Cloaked Matriarch. Every verified list chose Pyke, Dockside Butcher, whose Hidden and Ganking text creates a flexible combat threat when the additional Fury Power is paid.
Pyke trades immediate battlefield presence for later resources: Bloodharbor Ripper removes one of its own units from a battlefield, while the Gold it creates enters exhausted. Fizz still requires the replayed spell's Power cost, and Matriarch requires an empower payment before it can recover a unit. Those setup costs help explain why a visible, defined shell still produced no Top 8 or top-decile finish in the sealed window.
Fizz, Trickster may play Falling Star or Void Seeker from the trash because each costs no more than 3 Energy. Fizz ignores only that spell's Energy cost: Falling Star still requires 2 Power and Void Seeker still requires 1 Power. The spell is recycled after it is played.
Pay 1 Energy and exhaust Bloodharbor Ripper to return a friendly unit at Ripper's Bay to its owner's hand and create a Gold Gear token exhausted. Because a unit at Ripper's Bay returned to hand, that player may pay another 1 Energy to channel one rune exhausted. Both the Gold and the channeled rune enter exhausted, so the line builds later resources instead of adding Might to the current battlefield.
When Tail-Cloaked Matriarch becomes empowered, it may play a unit from the trash with Energy cost no more than 3 and Power cost no more than 1 to base without paying its cost. Bewitching Spirit qualifies, so replaying it makes a chosen player discard another card. Matriarch must become empowered first, and its ability plays the recovered unit to base.
ViD tierPiltover EnforcerVi appeared often enough to establish a real skirmish shell, but none of those entries converted into a top-decile finish.Vi ranks thirty-fifth because 27 registrations across seven events produced no top-decile finishes against 2.8 expected, no Top 8s, and no event wins. The best overall placement was thirtieth, but that decklist was unavailable and cannot support card-level claims. The four verified lists establish that the deck existed in more than one configuration; they do not provide the tournament conversion needed for a higher tier.
The verified Vi lists share a Body and Fury skirmish plan, not one solved stock list. All four chose Vi, Peacekeeper and played Hextech Gauntlets. Three used Honest Broker, Kai'Sa, Survivor, Noxus Hopeful, Rengar, Unseen, Gem Jammer, and Perfect Execution. Two lists branched into Fiora, Victorious, Deathgrip, and Hidden Blade. Across both versions, the deck tries to create an oversized conquest, use Piltover Enforcer to ready another unit, and press a second battlefield before the opponent can reset.
Piltover Enforcer does not ready anything unless a conquest dealt at least 3 excess damage, and readying a unit does not move it to another battlefield. The four verified lists also split between a Gear-pressure core and a Fiora sacrifice branch, so the field did not converge on one repeatable build. Vi has functional lines, but this window offers no evidence that those lines consistently survived tournament play.
When one of your units conquers with at least 3 excess damage, Piltover Enforcer may exhaust to ready a unit. Gem Jammer can give that unit Ganking for the turn so it can move to another battlefield, while Kai'Sa, Survivor draws a card when she conquers. The Legend only readies the unit; Gem Jammer or another move effect is still required to send it elsewhere.
Vi, Peacekeeper stuns an enemy unit at her battlefield whenever she attacks. Perfect Execution readies her and gives her Assault 3 for the turn, while Heroic Charge gives her +1 Might and can stun another enemy at her location. These effects improve the attack, but none guarantees the 3 excess damage Piltover Enforcer needs.
In two of the four verified lists, Deathgrip could kill a spent friendly unit, give its Might to Fiora, Victorious for the turn, and draw an extra card. If that makes Fiora Mighty, she gains Deflect, Ganking, and Shield. Hidden Blade can remove a blocker, but it also gives that unit's controller two cards. This is a two-list branch, not a universal Vi interaction.
RumbleD tierMechanized MenaceThe Mech shell was real, but this tournament window never rewarded it with a meaningful finish.Rumble ranks thirty-sixth in D tier. It recorded 17 registrations across eight events, but those entries produced no top-decile finishes against 1.7 expected, no Top 8s, and no wins. Its best finish was twenty-fourth. Five verified complete lists identify a real shell; they do not establish competitive conversion.
All five verified complete lists used six Fury and six Mind runes. Every list played Bubble Bot, Ferrous Forerunner, and Rumble, Hotheaded in the Main Deck; four used Forecaster, Gem Jammer, and Patched Porobot, while three used Production Surge, Stupefy, Falling Star, and Danger Zone. The shell keeps producing Mechs, uses Ferrous Forerunner and Production Surge to widen the board, then converts those bodies into attacks through Rumble's Assault bonus and Danger Zone's repeatable team buff. Four lists chose Rumble, Hotheaded; one chose Rumble, Scrapper.
The shell's payoff is conditional at every stage. Production Surge is discounted only if a Mech is already in play. Rumble's trash-recursion line matters only after he conquers. Danger Zone is strongest only after a Mech board already exists. Five verified lists, no top-decile finishes, no Top 8, and no win show a coherent setup without a proven closing build.
Production Surge costs 2 less if you control a Mech, then plays a 3-Might Mech token to your base and draws 1. Bubble Bot readies another friendly Mech when it is played, helping the deck turn its extra body into board presence.
When Rumble, Hotheaded conquers, you may recycle another friendly unit to play a Mech from your trash and reduce that Mech's Energy cost by the recycled unit's Might. Ferrous Forerunner is especially useful because its Deathknell plays two 3-Might Mech tokens to your base when it dies.
Danger Zone gives your Mechs +1 Might for the turn and can be repeated for 1 Energy and 1 Power. Once Rumble, Hotheaded is in play, those same Mechs also have Assault, so every repeat directly scales the attack step instead of acting as a standalone buff.
YasuoD tierUnforgivenYasuo was a one-list movement deck in this window, and that list finished eighty-third out of 114 players.Yasuo ranks thirty-seventh in D tier. One registration produced one verified complete list, zero top-decile finishes against 0.11 expected, no Top 8, no win, and a -0.226 normalized finish edge. The evidence confirms that a real movement shell was played; it does not establish a competitive archetype.
The only verified complete list used six Calm and six Chaos runes with Yasuo, Windrider as the chosen Champion. It paired three copies each of Akali, Silent, Boots of Swiftness, Defy, Discipline, Ride the Wind, and Scuttle Crab with smaller packages of Charm, Gust, Guardian Angel, Honeyfruit, Stacked Deck, Star-Crossed, and Tideturner. The shell repeatedly moves and protects the same threats, turning a third Yasuo move into a point or an Akali move into temporary Might. This describes one Wuhan list, not a settled Yasuo core.
Every card-level conclusion comes from one list and one eighty-third-place finish. Yasuo had no top-decile result, no Top 8, no win, and no second verified configuration to compare. The movement package is functional, but this snapshot gives no evidence that it consistently converts into high finishes.
Yasuo, Windrider scores 1 point the third time he moves in a turn. Ride the Wind chooses a friendly unit, moves it, and readies it, so it both advances Yasuo's move count and leaves him available for another action. The point is awarded only on Yasuo's third move that turn, not on every move after it.
Akali, Silent gains +2 Might for the turn whenever she moves to a battlefield. Tideturner may exchange locations with another friendly unit when played, so it can move Akali into a battlefield and trigger that bonus. The Might lasts only for the turn, and this is a one-list interaction rather than a proven Yasuo staple.
Baron Nashor adds Baron Pit, where units can move from anywhere. That gives Yasuo another battlefield destination while trying to reach his third move in a turn. The verified list played only one Baron Nashor, so this is a singleton line rather than part of a repeated package.
ZedD tierMaster of ShadowsZed's Shadow Clone engine is coherent and widely tested, but its conditional setup never converted into a deep finish in this window.Zed ranks thirty-eighth because 31 registrations across 11 events produced no top-decile finishes against 3.2 expected, with no Top 8s or wins. Its best registration finished twentieth, but that entry had no linked decklist. Card-level analysis comes from 14 verified lists across seven events. That establishes a real archetype without a result strong enough to leave D tier.
The shared shell starts with Death Mark in all 14 verified lists, Noxus Hopeful and Stacked Deck in 13, and Traveling Merchant in 12. Death Mark fills the trash and creates a Shadow Clone; an attacking Clone can banish a unit from the trash for Assault 4 and empower Zed. The chosen Champion defines two branches. Zed, Without a Sound lists emphasized Ride the Wind and Kai'Sa, Survivor for move-and-ready tempo. Most Zed, From the Shadows lists played Rhasa the Sunderer, using discard and Death Mark's Burn to reduce Rhasa's Energy cost.
The engine asks for setup before each payoff. A Shadow Clone begins at 0 Might and needs both an attack and a unit in the trash to gain Assault 4. Zed must first be empowered, then disempower, exhaust, and discard another card to draw. Without a Sound needs a conquest to create its Clone, while From the Shadows needs another discard. Those conditions generated value, but not consistent results across 31 registrations.
Death Mark Burns 3 and plays a 0-Might Shadow Clone. When that Clone attacks, it may banish a unit from your trash to gain Assault 4 for the turn. That banish empowers Master of Shadows, whose Action can then disempower and exhaust Zed to discard 1 and draw 1. The line needs both a unit in the trash and the Legend ready.
Stacked Deck looks at the top three cards of the Main Deck, puts one into your hand, and recycles the rest. Because another card has now been played that turn, Noxus Hopeful's Legion ability reduces its Energy cost by 2, making it a 2-Energy, 4-Might follow-up.
Ride the Wind moves and readies one friendly unit. Moving Traveling Merchant makes you discard 1 and then draw 1. Moving Shadow Order Disciple lets you Burn 1 to give it +1 Might for the turn. Ride the Wind moves only one unit, so it triggers one of those payoffs, not both.
JaxD tierGrandmaster at ArmsJax had a real Equipment shell, but that shell never produced a top-decile finish in this window.Jax ranks thirty-ninth because 16 registrations across eight events produced no top-decile finishes against 1.6 expected, with no Top 8s and no wins. Eight verified lists establish a stable core, but the best result was only thirty-eighth.
The verified Jax shell is a Body and Calm Equipment deck with a settled spine. All eight verified lists used Jax, Unmatched, Brutalizer, Defy, Discipline, First Mate, Counter Strike, and Guardian Angel. Most also used Scuttle Crab, Punch First, Challenge, and Lonely Poro. The deck loads one unit with Equipment, protects it through combat, and uses Jax, Unmatched to attach Equipment at Reaction speed.
The problem was not deck identity; it was conversion. The shell was consistent, but it never produced a top-decile finish, a Top 8, or a win. Its combat tools can protect one important unit, yet the results give no reason to rank that plan above the long shots.
Jax, Unmatched gives your Equipment everywhere Quick-Draw, which grants Reaction and attaches the Equipment to a unit you control when you play it. That lets Brutalizer and Guardian Angel be deployed during combat instead of only as advance setup. This works only while Jax, Unmatched is in play, and the Equipment's Equip cost still has to be paid.
Challenge makes a friendly unit and an enemy unit deal damage equal to their Mights to each other. Counter Strike can prevent the next damage that chosen unit would take that turn and draw 1, letting the equipped unit challenge something larger and survive the exchange. Counter Strike prevents only the next damage instance, not every later hit that turn.
First Mate readies another unit when played. An equipped unit can exhaust for one action, then be readied for another move or combat later that turn. First Mate cannot ready itself, and the unit still needs a legal action before that extra ready matters.
TeemoD tierSwift ScoutTeemo's Hidden engine is real, and the Spiderling builds have a clear reason to exist, but this snapshot has no deep result to prove that either branch is competitive yet.Teemo ranks fortieth in D tier. Eight registrations across seven events produced no finish inside the top 10% of an event against 0.82 expected, no Top 8, and no win. Its best finish was forty-second, and its normalized finish edge was -0.222. Four verified lists cover half of the Teemo field and establish a recognizable strategy, but none converted that strategy into a deep finish.
All four verified lists used Mind and Chaos runes, played Bandle Tree, and had access to Teemo, Strategist as the chosen Champion or in the Main Deck. Three lists chose Strategist and committed 18, 34, or 39 Main Deck slots to Spiderling, using its unlimited-copy rule and its shared-name Might bonus. The fourth used no Spiderlings and instead paired Nocturne, Temporal Breach, Switcheroo, Sprite Call, and Sprite Fountain. The evidence therefore supports a dominant swarm branch and a separate Hidden-value branch, not one settled list.
The sample is both small and divided. Three lists committed most of their Main Deck to Spiderling, while the fourth used none. Teemo, Strategist's shared payoff triggers when it defends, and The Grand Plaza alternate-win package appeared in only two of the three Spiderling lists. With four verified lists and no finish above forty-second, the evidence does not show either branch consistently turning its setup into tournament results.
Swift Scout lets you pay 1 Energy instead of 1 Power to hide a card with Hidden. Consult the Past can then be played from Hidden for 0 Energy as a Reaction to draw 2, while Bandle Tree permits an additional hidden card at its battlefield. Consult the Past appeared in three of four verified lists, and every list played Bandle Tree. Replacing the Power still costs 1 Energy, and Bandle Tree expands hiding capacity only at its own battlefield.
When Teemo, Strategist defends, it reveals the top five cards of the Main Deck and deals 1 damage to an enemy unit there for each revealed card with Hidden. Spiderling has Hidden, and all three Spiderling lists had access to Strategist through the chosen Champion or Main Deck. Those lists played 18, 34, or 39 Spiderlings, concentrating the defensive reveal. The effect requires Strategist to defend and damages an enemy unit at that battlefield, not the opponent directly.
Spiderling gains +1 Might for each other Spiderling you control at its battlefield, and a deck may contain any number of Spiderlings. The Grand Plaza wins the game when you hold there with at least seven units, so multiple Spiderlings both increase one another's Might and count toward the seven-unit condition. Two of the three verified Spiderling lists paired these cards. The line is branch-specific and requires the units to be concentrated at The Grand Plaza when you hold it.
AhriD tierNine-Tailed FoxAhri showed up as fringe experimentation, not as a competitive Vendetta deck.Ahri ranks forty-first in D tier because four registrations across three events produced no top-decile finishes against 0.42 expected, no Top 8s, and no wins. Its best finish was fifty-third, its normalized finish edge was -0.216, and only two verified complete lists were eligible for card-level analysis.
Ahri did not present one stable shell. The sixty-eighth-place Shanghai list was a six-Calm, six-Mind control build with Ahri, Inquisitive, Charm, Defy, Discipline, Back Off, Stupefy, Thousand-Tailed Watcher, Blue Sentinel, and Grove of the God-Willow. The one-hundred-fifth-place Wuhan list was a ten-Calm, two-Mind midrange pile with Ahri, Alluring plus a wide cast of Champion units. The only shared Main Deck cards were Sona, Harmonious and Blitzcrank, Impassive, so the evidence supports two experiments rather than one converged archetype.
The finishes and the deckbuilding both split against Ahri. The two analyzable lists finished sixty-eighth and one-hundred-fifth, while two other registrations were source-incomplete and excluded from card claims. With no top-decile finish, no Top 8, no win, and a different chosen Champion in each eligible list, Ahri lacks both result depth and list cohesion.
Both verified lists paired Blitzcrank, Impassive with Grove of the God-Willow. Blitzcrank may move an enemy unit to its battlefield when played, Grove draws a card when you hold there, and Blitzcrank returns to its owner's hand when it holds. One successful hold therefore replaces itself and sets up another future drag, but the loop stops if you lose the battlefield.
The Shanghai list chose Ahri, Inquisitive and played Charm. Charm moves an enemy unit, Nine-Tailed Fox gives an enemy attacker -1 Might at a battlefield you control, and Inquisitive gives an enemy unit there -2 Might when she attacks or defends. That list can steer a fight and reduce the opposing unit before combat, but Charm does not force that unit to attack.
The Wuhan list paired Heimerdinger, Inventor with Lee Sin, Ascetic. Heimerdinger has the exhaust abilities of friendly Legends, units, and Gear, so he can use Lee Sin's exhaust ability to buff himself. This interaction is unique to the Wuhan list and still requires Heimerdinger to survive and exhaust.
JhinD tierVirtuosoJhin has a functional four-Energy spell engine, but neither its main control branch nor its spellless outlier build converted into a deep finish.Jhin ranks forty-second because 19 registrations across eight events produced no top-decile finish against 1.9 expected, no Top 8, and no win. Its best finish was twenty-fifth, while its normalized finish edge was -0.197. Seven verified lists provide enough evidence to identify the builds, but the tournament results leave both of them in D tier.
Five of the seven verified lists formed a Mind and Fury spell-control branch. All five played Curtain Call, Deadly Flourish, Singularity, and Thousand-Tailed Watcher; four also played Plundering Poro, Consult the Past, Downstage Dramatics, Sprite Burst, and Temporal Breach. Those lists spend four or more Energy on flexible removal or card draw, advance Virtuoso's four-spell payoff, and can then play Jhin, Meticulous Killer for one Mind Power. The other two verified lists were identical 39-unit builds with no registered spells. They instead used three Jhin, Murderous Artist, whose movement adds one Energy and one Power, alongside a broad unit toolbox.
The spell-control branch needs four qualifying spells before Virtuoso channels four runes and draws a card, so its Legend payoff arrives only after a large resource investment. The two spellless lists supplied no registered spell that could trigger Virtuoso at all, showing that even verified pilots had not settled on one plan. Across both branches, 19 registrations produced no top-decile finish, Top 8, or win.
Curtain Call has a printed Energy cost of 4. After playing it, Virtuoso may banish it, and Jhin, Meticulous Killer may be played for one Mind Power that turn. Curtain Call's Repeat costs add more modes, but the base spell already meets both four-Energy conditions.
Deadly Flourish costs 4 Energy, deals 3 to an enemy unit, and plays an exhausted Gold Gear token if that unit dies this turn. The spell can advance Virtuoso and unlock Jhin's alternate cost; after the Gold readies, its Reaction can kill and exhaust it to add one Power.
Temporal Breach banishes a unit and has its owner play it to the same location while ignoring its cost. Used on Thousand-Tailed Watcher, that replay triggers Watcher's effect again and gives enemy units -3 Might for the turn, to a minimum of 1. This package appeared together in four of the seven verified lists, so it defines a major branch rather than every Jhin build.
JinxD tierLoose CannonTwo registrations establish that Jinx was present, but neither result came close to contention.Jinx ranks forty-third because the 15-event window contains two registrations across two three-star events, no top-decile finish, no Top 8, and no win. Its best finish was 108th. One exact list now supports a shell-level read, but the standings still describe a fringe deck rather than a competitive metagame choice.
The one exact list chose Jinx, Rebel and paired discard payoffs with a low-curve Fury and Chaos shell. Jinx, Demolitionist and Punching Poro create discard triggers, Flame Chompers can be played when discarded, and Traveling Merchant filters the hand while moving. Noxus Hopeful supplies another discounted body, Seal of Rage provides Fury Power, Stacked Deck finds the next piece, and Super Mega Death Rocket! supplies repeatable removal after a conquest.
The exact shell comes from one 127th-place list, while the other registration was source-incomplete. Jinx, Rebel needs repeated discard events to keep gaining Might and readying, and those discards spend cards before the deck has proved it can recover the tempo. Two entries and a 108th-place best finish leave both the build and its competitive ceiling unproven.
Playing Jinx, Demolitionist discards two cards, which readies Jinx, Rebel and gives her +1 Might for the turn. If one discarded card is Flame Chompers, its controller may pay one Fury Power to play it, replacing part of the discarded hand with another unit.
When Traveling Merchant moves, it discards one card and then draws one. That discard readies Jinx, Rebel and gives her +1 Might for the turn, so moving Merchant can improve the hand while reopening the chosen Champion for another attack or defense.
Super Mega Death Rocket! deals 5 damage to a unit. After a conquest, its controller may discard one card to return the spell from the trash to hand. That discard also readies Jinx, Rebel and gives her +1 Might for the turn, while setting up the Rocket to be played again.
SettD tierThe BossSett's buff-and-brawl shell was readable, but the results never justified treating it as more than a fringe pressure deck.Sett ranks forty-fourth because eight registrations across five events produced zero top-decile finishes against 0.8 expected, with no Top 8s and no wins. Seven verified lists show a recognizable shell, but no entry finished above thirty-second.
The verified Sett shell is a Body and Fury pressure deck built around buffs that do double duty. All seven verified lists used Showstopper, and most used Pit Rookie, Sett, Brawler, Call to Glory, Punch First, First Mate, Fiora, Victorious, Arena Bar, Rengar, Trophy Hunter, and Sacrifice. The plan is to build one or two buffed bodies at base, launch them into a battlefield, then cash those buffs in for more combat stats or more cards.
The shell is linear and the standings punished it. Showstopper and Arena Bar both want a unit already worth investing in, Sacrifice needs a friendly Mighty unit, and the deck produced zero deep finishes even with seven verified lists. A coherent attack plan without a top-decile finish remains in D tier.
Showstopper buffs a friendly unit in your base, then moves it to a battlefield. That first buff matters because Sett, Brawler gains a permanent buff when played and when it conquers, while Call to Glory can spend an existing buff as an additional cost to ignore its own cost.
Arena Bar exhausts to buff an exhausted friendly unit. That can push Sett, Brawler or Fiora, Victorious into Mighty range, which improves combat and can also set up later sacrifice or cost-ignoring Call to Glory turns.
Sacrifice requires killing a friendly Mighty unit, then draws 2 and channels 1 rune exhausted. Because Showstopper, Arena Bar, Call to Glory, and Sett's own buff can all push a unit to 5 or more Might, the deck can convert one oversized body into cards once that lane has already traded resources.
Renata GlascD tierChem-BaronessRenata showed one preserved token-control list and nothing close to enough tournament proof.Renata ranks forty-fifth because 11 registrations across four events produced no top-decile finish, no Top 8, and no win. Only one exact-zone-complete list remains for card-level study, so the evidence supports one preserved build rather than a stable metagame archetype.
The only verified Renata list was a Mind and Order token-control shell with Renata Glasc, Industrialist as its chosen Champion. Keeper of Masks and Rally the Troops supplied bodies, Vanguard Armory and Seal of Unity turned Gear into board pressure, and Hostile Takeover plus Cull the Weak attacked opposing units. Jayce, Man of Progress linked the token and Gear plans by converting a friendly Gear into a cheaper follow-up.
The result floor and the evidence floor are both low: one analyzable list, ten excluded registrations, zero deep finishes, and no second exact list to separate core cards from one pilot's choices. Renata can show a coherent token-control plan, but this snapshot cannot support a broader claim than that.
Chem-BaronessJayce, Man of ProgressVanguard ArmorySeal of Unity
Chem-Baroness can exhaust when you or an ally hold to play a Gold Gear token exhausted. Jayce, Man of Progress can kill a friendly Gear so the next Gear played that turn ignores its Energy cost. In the verified list, that can turn the hold trigger into a cheaper Vanguard Armory or Seal of Unity.
Keeper of Masks plays two Reflection unit tokens that become copies of itself. Renata Glasc, Industrialist makes your unit tokens enter ready, so those Reflections can act immediately. Black Flame Altar can also give Temporary defenders there Shield, reinforcing the same token package in the verified list.
Hostile Takeover takes control of an enemy unit at a battlefield and readies it. Cull the Weak then makes each player kill one of their units. The stolen unit can be chosen on your side of that exchange, while the opponent still has to lose one of the units they retain.
IvernD tierGreen FatherIvern has a real four-tag menagerie plan, but the verified sample was too thin and too divided to establish a tournament build.Ivern ranks forty-sixth because 18 registrations across six events produced no top-decile finishes against 1.9 expected, with no Top 8s and no wins. The best raw finish was twenty-fourth, but that list was source-incomplete and cannot support card-level claims. Only two verified lists remain, and their best finish was eighty-third.
The two verified Calm and Order lists were different branches, not one settled shell. The Ivern, Nurturer list played a tag-midrange package with Mutated Mouser, Affectionate Poro, Astral Heron, Steel Paws, and Stalwart Poro. The Ivern, Friend to All list moved into Baited Hook, Apprentice Smith, Seal of Unity, Spectral Matron, Xin Zhao, and Undertitan. Only Trusty Ramhound, Friendship, Frisky Hunter, and Hidden Blade were shared. Both branches still try to assemble Bird, Cat, Dog, and Poro tags, then turn that mix into extra Might.
The tag checklist is demanding, and the evidence does not show which branch solves it best. The chosen Champion split one-to-one, only four main-deck cards were shared, and neither verified list finished above eighty-third. Ivern has a coherent mechanic, but neither a settled build nor a result that supports a higher rank.
After you conquer or hold, Green Father can exhaust to replace that battlefield with Brush. Brush gives Bird, Cat, Dog, Poro, and Ivern units there +1 Might, strengthening tagged units such as Frisky Hunter's Bird token, Trusty Ramhound, and Ivern, Nurturer. Both verified lists can use this engine even though their surrounding packages differ.
Friendship gives a friendly unit +1 Might this turn for each of Bird, Cat, Dog, and Poro among your units. Both verified lists played Friendship, Frisky Hunter, and Trusty Ramhound. The Friend to All branch can use its chosen Champion to supply a missing tag, while the Nurturer branch included natural Cat and Poro units.
Only the Friend to All list used Baited Hook. It can kill a 3-Might Frisky Hunter to play a 4-Might unit from the top five cards while ignoring its cost, which can reach Spectral Matron. Matron can then play a small unit from the trash while ignoring its cost. This line belongs to that branch, not to Ivern's shared core.
ShenD tierEye of TwilightShen's exact-two-unit defense has a coherent core, but the deck has not converted that precision into competitive finishes.Shen ranks forty-seventh because 22 registrations across 10 events produced zero finishes inside the top 10% of an event against 2.2 expected. Its best finish was twenty-sixth, with no Top 8s and no wins. Nine verified lists show a real deck, but the sealed tournament window gives it no evidence for a higher tier.
Shen wants exactly two friendly units at its most important battlefield. Disciple of Shen gains Shield 3 while beside exactly one other friendly unit, Hand Hammer gives its attached unit +2 Might under the same condition, and Shadow Dash gives both units +1 Might for the turn after moving an enemy there. Defy and Discipline appeared in all nine verified lists, while Disciple of Shen, Ki Barrier, and Shadow Dash appeared in eight. The chosen Champion split between Shen, Kinkou in five lists, Shen, Scourge of Shadows in three, and Shen, Leader of the Kinkou Order in one: Kinkou provides a Reaction defender with Shield 2 and Tank, while the Vendetta Champions reward holding with exactly one other friendly unit.
The formation is easy to disrupt and awkward to reinforce. Adding a third friendly unit turns off Disciple of Shen, Hand Hammer, and Shadow Dash's Might bonus; losing either member of the pair does the same. Eye of Twilight can assign Tank, but Tank controls which unit receives combat damage first rather than preventing that damage. The deck therefore needs its protection cards while maintaining an exact board state, and none of its three Champion branches produced a top-decile finish.
Disciple of Shen gains Shield 3 while it is at a battlefield with exactly one other friendly unit, and Hand Hammer gives its attached unit +2 Might under the same condition. Shadow Dash moves an enemy unit to that battlefield and, if you still have exactly two friendly units there, gives both +1 Might for the turn. A third friendly unit turns off all three bonuses.
Eye of Twilight can exhaust on your turn to give a friendly unit Tank, requiring combat damage to be assigned to that unit first. Ki Barrier can then prevent the next 7 damage dealt to the chosen unit that turn. Tank does not prevent damage, and an opponent may assign enough additional combat damage to get past Ki Barrier.
Affectionate Poro draws after a combat it participated in if it has not been dealt damage that turn. Ki Barrier can prevent the next 7 damage dealt to it, allowing the Poro to satisfy that condition when all assigned damage is prevented. If damage gets through the prevention, the Poro does not draw.
Rankings combine how often each Legend appeared, how high it finished relative to the event, how often it reached the top 10% of an event, and how often it appeared across the window. Short result histories cannot reach the top tiers, and Legends stay ordered inside each tier by the same scoring model.
Rankings cover July 26, 2026 through August 9, 2026. Card-level claims use only the 1,080 verified decklists in the sealed evidence set.