Meta Snapshot: Riven wins the Orlando Showdown and four Chinese City Challenges

Riven's Legend makes units played to a battlefield its player controls enter ready, so each new unit there can act or pay a cost the turn it arrives. Bedeviling Stranger can come down there from face down and be exhausted to attach Blade of the Exile, which adds +3 Might and Ganking, and Reckless Innovator can make a Gold when exhausted that way. Riven seems to edge Kennen because its Legend helps any unit played to a held battlefield, while Kennen must first play a card from outside its hand, and Riven's Calm cards, like Defy and Zhonya's Hourglass, add protection Kennen can't play.

Kennen turns card selection into cheap plays: Lightning Rush and Trifarian Captain look at the top of the deck, and a Nocturne, Horrifying seen there can be banished and played for one Power, empowering the Legend so it can disempower and exhaust to give a unit Assault 2 this turn. Cards Lightning Rush skips go to the trash and make Rhasa the Sunderer cheaper. Kennen trails Riven because its Legend gives nothing until a card is played from outside the hand, but it stays ahead of LeBlanc because its one and two Energy selection cards work right away, while LeBlanc's Ruined Rex only deals its damage when it dies.

LeBlanc gets its value from friendly units dying: Karthus, Eternal makes each Deathknell trigger twice, and Deathgrip, Baited Hook and Sacrifice, which needs a Mighty unit, let its player choose when those deaths happen. With Karthus out, a dying Ruined Rex gives two separate Deathknell triggers that each deal 4 to an enemy unit. LeBlanc sits behind Kennen because its engine needs a friendly unit to die first, while Kennen's Lightning Rush starts digging for one Energy, but it stays above Kai'Sa because Karthus makes each of its Deathknell units pay off twice, an engine Kai'Sa's lists don't play.

Kai'Sa's Legend adds a Power of any domain for spells, helping pay for cheap removal like Hextech Ray and Falling Star and reach Time Warp. Bilgewater Tracker deals 1 to each of up to two units on play, and Temporal Breach can replay it to repeat that. Kai'Sa trails LeBlanc, whose Karthus, Eternal makes its Deathknell effects trigger an additional time, while Kai'Sa's Watchful Sentry draws once on death, but it stays ahead of Jayce because those cheap spells deal 3, while Jayce's Flurry of Blades deals just 1 to all units at battlefields, though that damage can kill enemy units of any Might if Jayce controls Elder Dragon.

Jayce ramps with Platewyrm Egg and Catalyst of Aeons, and its Legend can pay 1 Energy and exhaust to ready an Egg, a net gain once an empowered Egg adds 2 Energy. Dazzling Aurora can find Elder Dragon and play it for free at the end of its player's turn. Jayce trails Kai'Sa, whose Falling Star deals 3 twice, because Flurry of Blades deals just 1 to all units at battlefields, though that damage can kill enemy units of any Might if Jayce controls the Dragon. Jayce stays above Rengar because its engine runs on gear and spells, while Rengar's Nidalee, Cat Form draws only on a combat win.

Rengar's Legend gives a unit +1 Might whenever its player plays a unit, so cheap Ambush bodies like Inferna and Nidalee, Cat Form can join a fight as a Reaction and tilt it. Thrill of the Hunt banishes a friendly unit and replays it to any battlefield for free, which triggers the Legend again along with effects like First Mate readying another unit. Rengar seems to sit above Akali because its Legend rewards every unit played, while Akali's payoffs need a unit to move, but below Jayce, which ramps toward a 10-Might Elder Dragon while Rengar's biggest units, like Ferrous Forerunner, have 6 Might.

Akali turns movement into value: Akali, Deadly Weapon can deal damage when it moves, Stellacorn Herder draws when it moves, and on its own turn the Legend can move a friendly unit from a showdown to base. Defy, Not So Fast and Zhonya's Hourglass protect that engine, and Void Gate adds 1 damage to spells and abilities that hit units there. Akali seems to sit below Rengar because its payoffs need a unit to move, while Rengar's Legend rewards every unit played, but above Diana, whose Gust and Star-Crossed only return units to hand, while Akali's damage can kill one outright.

Diana's Legend adds an Energy that can only be spent in showdowns, and the deck runs spells that fit there: Gust and Star-Crossed are Reactions that return units to hand, Eclipse and Moonfall shrink a unit's Might, and Diana, Lunari can dig for another spell when a showdown starts at her battlefield. That lets the Legend pay for part of a fight, which seems to put Diana below Akali, whose Legend can pull a friendly unit from a showdown on its own turn, which can set off its movement payoffs, but above Kha'Zix, which gets its Kha'Zix, Mutating Horror bonus only against a lone enemy unit.

Kha'Zix builds its own fights: Void Assault moves a friendly unit and then an enemy unit, Irresistible Faefolk may pull an enemy unit to the battlefield it moves to, and Kha'Zix, Mutating Horror gets +2 Might this turn and 2 XP for its player when it attacks or defends against a lone enemy unit. Its Legend exhausts to spend 1 XP to Buff a unit or 2 XP to move an exhausted friendly unit from a battlefield to base. It seems to sit below Diana, whose Legend Energy helps in any showdown, not just against one unit, but above Vex, which must hold a battlefield before its Legend gives anything.

Vex plays for holding a battlefield: the Legend can draw a card on a hold, Startipped Peak can channel an exhausted rune, and Bandle Scouts' Academy plays an exhausted Gold whenever its player hides a card there. Hidden cards like Bedeviling Stranger and Switcheroo, plus Defy, let it answer on the opponent's turn, and Vex, Apathetic stuns any unit the opponent plays while it sits at a battlefield. Vex seems to trail Kha'Zix because its draw and Startipped Peak wait for a hold, but it edges Sett, whose Legend can save a buffed friendly unit only by paying one Power, exhausting itself and spending the buff.

Sett plays cheap buff givers like Pit Rookie, Pillaged Armory and Showstopper. Buffs then become a resource: its player can spend one instead of paying Call to Glory's printed cost, Monastery of Hirana can turn one into a card on a conquer, and the Legend can pay one Power, exhaust and spend a buffed friendly unit's buff to recall it instead of letting it die. Sett seems to sit below Vex, whose Defy can counter a cheap spell, while Sett's Legend protects only a buffed unit that would die, but above Rek'Sai, whose small units must take a battlefield before the Legend gives anything.

Rek'Sai fills the board with cheap bodies like Inferna and Carrion Dredger, and after a conquest the Legend can exhaust to reveal the top two cards, then may banish one and play it. Cull the Weak makes each player kill a unit, which costs Rek'Sai little when it can give up a Recruit token or a Dredger that leaves a Bird. The extra card needs a conquest and the units are small, so it seems to sit below Sett, whose buffs make one unit bigger and harder to kill, but above Vi, whose Legend can exhaust to ready a unit only after a conquest with 3 or more excess damage.

Vi wants one oversized attacker: Hextech Gauntlets adds 3 Might and costs less to equip on a bigger unit, and when a conquer leaves at least 3 excess damage the Legend can exhaust to ready a unit, so a Ganking unit like Jhin, Murderous Artist can attack a second battlefield. That trigger asks for more than Rek'Sai's, which only needs a conquest, so Vi seems to rank below it, but Vi threatens a second attack in the same turn, while Wuju Bladesman seems to protect a lead more than extend one.

Wuju Bladesman likes to hold each battlefield with a single unit: the Legend gives a lone defender +2 Might, En Garde adds up to +2 more, and Zhonya's Hourglass can save a dying unit. Rengar, Trophy Hunter can arrive in the middle of a fight, and Defy can counter a spell of up to 4 Energy and 1 Power aimed at the fight. This protects a lead better than it builds one, which seems to put it below Vi, whose best turn attacks twice, but above Wuju Master, whose Legend gives nothing until 6 XP.

Wuju Master gathers XP from Hunt units like Gemhand Hunter and Voracious Gromp, from Herald of Spring and from Gardens of Becoming, and the Legend pays that back as the total climbs: at 6 XP every unit gets +1 Might and at 11 XP units enter ready, while Master Yi, Unstoppable gets cheaper at 3, 6 and 11 XP. Hunt only gives XP when a unit conquers or holds, and the Legend does nothing before 6 XP, so it seems to sit below Wuju Bladesman, whose Legend bonus applies from the first battlefield it defends.

Miss Fortune's Legend exhausts to give a unit Ganking for the turn, so a unit can move between battlefields without a card, and Ride the Wind and Treasure Hunter, which plays an exhausted Gold whenever it moves, fit that movement. Miss Fortune, Buccaneer also lets friendly units be played to open battlefields. Beyond that the builds change from list to list, although Punch First shows up in most of them, and the Legend neither scores nor draws on its own, so Miss Fortune seems to rely on whatever plan the rest of the deck brings.

Lillia fills the board with 3 Might Sprites: the Legend can exhaust to play a ready one for 4 Energy, 1 less for each friendly Temporary unit, Sprite Fountain and Sprite Burst add more ready ones, and Lillia, Fae Fawn leaves another Sprite behind, though not a ready one, whenever it moves from a location. Before scoring, Dusk Rose Lab can trade a unit its controller has there for a card. Temporary normally kills Sprites at the start of their controller's Beginning Phase before scoring, so they can't be counted on to hold a battlefield, which seems to leave Lillia depending on a few permanent units for steady points.

Poppy plays a Body and Order deck that takes fights with Rampage and Punch First and collects XP from Grim Resolve, Shepherd's Heirloom, Gardens of Becoming and Master Yi, Tempered, while the Legend adds XP whenever Poppy holds and can spend three XP to draw a card. Every use pulls from the same pool, though: the Legend's draws and Heirloom equips both spend XP, while Master Yi, Tempered only keeps Deflect and Ganking with six or more banked. Much of that XP depends on conquering or holding battlefields, which seems to hold Poppy here.

Nasus spends its early turns on cheap answers and card draw like Defy, Bellows Breath and Find Your Center, then turns the corner with plays costing seven or more Energy. Thousand-Tailed Watcher, The Empyrean and Nasus, Ascended all let the Legend exhaust to ready up to two runes, so the same turn can still hold up a counter or a trick. Not much happens before the deck reaches those costs, though, and early bodies like Scuttle Crab defend battlefields poorly, so Nasus might give up too many points before its big turns arrive.

Leona turns stuns into lasting buffs: Back Off, Zenith Blade, Nami, Headstrong, Kennen, Keeper of Balance and Vi, Peacekeeper can all stun an enemy unit, the Legend then buffs a friendly unit, and Riven, Broken Blade can spend its buff to stun again when it becomes exhausted. Spending a spare buff also lets Call to Glory ignore its cost, and Leona, Zealot shrinks stunned enemy units at its battlefield by 8 Might, to a minimum of 1. A stun only stops combat damage for one turn, and stunning one or more enemies together gives only one buff opportunity, which seems to keep the pressure modest.

Viktor is a removal deck that profits when units die: the Legend makes 1 Might Recruits, Cull the Weak lets Viktor give up a token while the opponent must kill one of theirs, and once Viktor, Leader is out, each other non-Recruit friendly unit that dies plays a Recruit into Viktor's base, including Sprites from Sprite Fountain when they are killed. Imperial Decree followed by Bellows Breath can clear several units at one battlefield. Hidden Blade gives its target's controller two cards and much of the board is small Recruit tokens, so Viktor seems to trade evenly without building much power on the board.

Pyke's Legend can pay one Energy and exhaust to return a friendly unit at a battlefield to hand and make an exhausted Gold token, and most lists add Ripper's Bay, where that return can also pay one Energy to channel an exhausted rune. That turns Hidden units like Tornado Warrior into repeatable plays, and in lists with both cards, a Tornado Warrior played from face down at Tail-Cloaked Matriarch's location can newly empower it, so Matriarch may play an eligible unit from the trash to base. Every return pulls a body off the battlefield and replaying it costs resources, so Pyke converts board presence into resources, which can slow scoring.

Azir turns cheap Equipment into a board: once Doran's Shield or another Equipment is played, the Legend can pay 1 Energy and exhaust to make a 2 Might Sand Soldier, and when that Soldier is played, Weaponmaster lets its player attach one of their Equipment to it by paying that Equipment's Equip cost. Arise! then makes a Soldier for each Equipment Azir controls. The Legend can't make a Soldier on a turn without an Equipment play, though, and Doran's Shield, Brutalizer and Soul Sword each add only +1 Might, so Azir seems to spend much of its hand on Equipment and still field small units.

Jhin's Legend can bank each spell it spends four or more Energy on, and once four are banked it puts them in the trash, channels four runes and draws a card. Curtain Call, Deadly Flourish, Consult the Past and Sprite Burst all qualify when played for full cost, and after one of them on its player's own turn, Jhin, Meticulous Killer can be played for one Mind Power. The payoff still needs four qualifying spells, each with at least four Energy actually spent, while its Sprite tokens die before they can score a hold, so Jhin tends to control games without closing them quickly.

Mel plays a Mind and Chaos spell deck that answers threats with Gust and Shock Blast, counters or steals spells with Rebuttal, and filters its hand through Hwei, Brooding Painter. The Legend gives a unit -2 Might, but only after the deck empowers something else, so Mel first spends Energy on Applied Researchers or discards a spell for Mel, Defiant Soul, and using the Legend disempowers it again. Many of its units are 2 to 4 Might, and Time Warp might be how it pulls ahead, which seems to leave Mel reacting for several turns.

Orianna is built around The Ball. At the start of its player's Main Phase the Legend can pay one Energy to make it a 5-Might unit with Ganking. Each time The Ball moves, its player draws a card or it deals 2 to enemy units there, and a conquest at Veiled Temple can ready it to move again. The Ball has to last until the start of its player's next Main Phase before the Legend can wake it up, and it dies if an opponent holds its battlefield, so losing it leaves the Legend animating gear like Mask of Foresight, which lacks The Ball's Ganking and move trigger.

Ivern builds a wide board of cheap units like Mutated Mouser and Trusty Ramhound, and once Ultrasoft Poro reaches a battlefield it can exhaust to play two Bird unit tokens with Deflect, which makes spells and abilities costlier to aim at those Birds. The Legend turns a battlefield into Brush only after a conquer or hold, and Brush gives just one Might to Bird, Cat, Dog, Poro and Ivern units, so the early turns are mostly about holding ground. Raucous Anthem readies your units and gives them +3 Might this turn, but its seven Energy cost seems to keep Ivern from pressuring early.

Evelynn hides cards like Pyke, Returned, Gutter Guardian and Switcheroo at its battlefields, often at Bandle Scouts' Academy so each hide there leaves a Gold behind, and its Legend draws once each turn when one of them is played from face down. That keeps cards flowing, although a draw on the opponent's turn also costs a discard. The units it flips are mostly three or four Might, so it leans on Punch First and Rengar, Trophy Hunter for bigger fights, and since a battlefield usually holds only one facedown card, the engine seems to build too slowly to push Evelynn higher.

Ornn spends its early turns on cheap pieces that replace themselves, since Poro Snax draws when played and Patched Porobot draws when played if its player controls at least three other gear, and its Legend can exhaust to add a Power that only gear can use, which helps pay for Sterak's Gage. Ornn, Blacksmith can then look at the top four cards for another gear when it is played or holds. Equipment still needs a unit to carry it, though, and Sprite Fountain's Sprites have Temporary, so they die before they can score by holding, which seems to leave Ornn with plenty of value but little pressure.

Mordekaiser plays a broad Fury and Order midrange game, with Realm of Death giving one of its units +2 Might and an enemy -2 before they deal damage to each other, and Kai'Sa, Survivor drawing a card whenever it conquers. The Legend banishes a unit or gear from the trash to add one Power for units or gear, which helps pay for Mordekaiser, Dominating. That Legend covers only Power, not Energy, and does nothing until a unit or gear reaches the trash, while Mordekaiser, Dominating still costs nine Energy, so its biggest threat seems to arrive late.

Fiora rewards units that reach 5 Might, since the Legend can exhaust to channel an extra exhausted rune when one becomes Mighty, and Sacrifice can then trade that unit for two cards and another rune. Lists that run Rift Herald and Elder Dragon alongside Sacrifice can also sacrifice a Herald so its Deathknell plays a Dragon from hand to base while paying only the Dragon's Power. The Legend has to exhaust for each rune, though, and it usually needs Punch First or a large unit before it does anything, so Fiora's ramp comes slowly and depends on finding the right pieces together.

Ekko usually empowers its Legend on one turn and disempowers it on a later turn to cut two Energy and one Power off a unit, which lets Thousand-Tailed Watcher arrive early and give enemy units -3 Might for a big attack. That unit is set to die at end of turn, so the deck leans on Ekko, Ingenious, Retreat or Temporal Breach to return or replay it before then. Empowering and then using the discount each exhaust the Legend, so the usual sequence spans two turns, and saving the unit costs another card, which leaves Ekko with strong single turns rather than a steady edge over a game.

Teemo hides cards like Switcheroo, Sprite Call and Tideturner, and its Legend lets one Energy pay for each hide instead of a Power, while Bandle Scouts' Academy leaves a Gold behind. A hidden card can be played later without paying its cost, so Switcheroo can swap the Might of two units in the middle of a fight. The catch is that a card can only be hidden at a battlefield Teemo controls and is lost if that control is lost, and Sprite Call's Sprite has Temporary, so Teemo seems to depend on a lead it has trouble keeping.

Darius, Hand of Noxus wants every turn to include at least two cards, since its Legend adds an Energy only if a card was already played that turn and Darius, Trifarian gets +2 Might and readies when the second card is played. Plays like Rally the Troops, which draws a card, and Noxus Hopeful, which costs two Energy less after another card, help make that happen. The deck seems held back because those turns need the right cards together, and without them Darius, Trifarian is an ordinary five Might unit.

Yasuo, Windrider scores a point on the third time it moves in a turn, and the deck gives it several ways to get there: the Legend pays two Energy to move a unit to or from its base, Ride the Wind moves and readies a unit, and Flash sends units back to base. Reaching a third move in one turn takes careful sequencing on top of Yasuo's five Energy, so the plan seems slow to set up and hard to repeat.

Ambessa empowers cheap units like Legion Marauder and Kayle, Justified, and Risen Altar can lower Empower costs for its controller's units there, while empowering one of them also empowers the Legend if it isn't already, so it can later spend one Power, disempower and exhaust to ready a unit. Guttural Roar gives an empowered unit +4 Might this turn, and Public Execution kills an enemy unit smaller than one of its own. Small units like Noxian Emissary and Irresistible Faefolk print just 1 or 2 Might and lean on Punch First and Rampage, though, so Ambessa seems to spend much of each turn on setup for modest pressure.

Lux, Lady of Luminosity draws a card whenever its player plays a spell costing five Energy or more, which fits lists built around Progress Day, Singularity and The Ruination. Lux, Crownguard adds two Energy for spells only, and Wages of Pain leaves a Gold behind, so those cards help pay for the large ones. Those spells cost six to nine Energy and Time Warp costs ten, so the deck seems to need a long game before the payoffs arrive.

Rumble's Legend gives its Mechs Shield 1, and each friendly Rumble, Hotheaded gives them Assault 1 while in play, so with one Hotheaded out each Mech gains a point of Might on either side of a fight. Incorrigible Construct, new in Radiance, enters ready when it shows off another Mech, and Ferrous Forerunner leaves two Mech tokens behind when it dies. The Legend's own bonus is one Might per Mech and only while defending, though, so Rumble's Mechs seem to defend only a little above their printed size.

Jarvan IV plays cheap Deploy gear like Pillaged Armory, Concert Poster and Demacian Standard, and its Legend can move a friendly unit to the battlefield where that gear lands. With Jarvan IV, Martial Paragon giving those gear Action, the deck can add a gear and a unit to a fight in a showdown. Each Legend move needs a Deploy gear played, a Power and the Legend's exhaust, though, and the gear die when an opponent holds their battlefield, while cheap units like Trifarian Captain and Pit Rookie still lean on Punch First or Rampage to come out ahead in fights.

Lee Sin, Blind Monk spends one Energy to buff a friendly unit, and Lee Sin, Centered gives other buffed friendly units at his battlefield +2 Might, so cheap units can grow once they carry a buff. Monastery of Hirana can turn a buff into a card after a conquer there. A buff is only one Might and the Legend does nothing for a unit that already has one, while Lee Sin, Centered costs six Energy, so the deck seems to lean on Punch First and Rampage to take fights until the buffs add up.

Renekton's Legend turns two Power into two Energy for units, and most lists pair it with Coalesced Energy, which recycles every rune at the end of its player's turn and channels four back exhausted. With Coalesced Energy in play, that reset can offset runes recycled for Power, although losing them can still squeeze earlier plays, and dropping to four or fewer runes turns on Renekton, Rage Fueled's attack damage. Resetting to four runes keeps bigger turns hard to build, though, so Renekton leans on four Energy units like Noxus Hopeful and Kai'Sa, Survivor with Punch First and might run out of cards once those are answered.

Annie's Legend readies up to two runes at the end of its player's turn, so up to two runes used on the player's own turn are ready again on the opponent's turn for Reaction spells like Gust, Flash and Star-Crossed. Annie, Stubborn can return one of those spells from the trash to the hand, which lets the deck reuse a return-to-hand or movement spell. The Legend does not draw cards or score points itself, though, and Reaction spells mostly delay an opponent instead of building a board, so Annie might struggle to turn those ready runes into a lead on the battlefields.

Seraphine's Legend can exhaust itself and three friendly units to make a spell cost two Energy less, and the 1 Might Recruit tokens from Encore's Recruit mode and Concert Poster's optional Energy payment help pay for it. With Seraphine, Inspiring on the board, that exhaust can also draw a card once each turn, and the discount makes it cheaper to pair Imperial Decree with Bellows Breath to kill several units at one location. Units exhausted this way can't make a standard move while exhausted, though, unless something like Raucous Anthem readies them, so Seraphine might struggle to turn a wide board of small tokens into conquests.

Ezreal is a Mind and Chaos control deck, and its Legend can exhaust to draw a card once spells like Stupefy, Gust, Wages of Pain and Deadly Flourish have chosen enemy units twice in a turn. Most lists also use Pack of Wonders to return Treasure Trove to hand, and Treasure Trove leaving the board draws a card and channels a rune exhausted before it is replayed. Still, Thousand-Tailed Watcher is the only big unit nearly every list shares, and Fizz, Trickster and Vex, Apathetic have 3 and 4 Might, so Ezreal might control a board for a long time without closing the game.

Ahri's Legend gives an enemy unit -1 Might this turn, to a minimum of 1, whenever it attacks a battlefield Ahri's player controls, so the deck is built to defend ground it already holds. Discipline adds 2 Might and draws a card at Reaction speed, and Defy and Not So Fast can counter some spells, which helps a defended battlefield stay safe from tricks. The Legend only weakens attackers at a battlefield Ahri already controls, though, and does nothing to help it take one in the first place, so Ahri might struggle to claim the battlefields its Legend is meant to protect.

Volibear ramps with Mobilize and Dragonsoul Sage, and its Legend can exhaust to channel an extra rune exhausted when a Mighty unit (5 or more Might) is played, such as Blazing Scorcher for 5 Energy or Rengar, Trophy Hunter for 5 Energy and one Power. The extra runes are meant for Seraphic Wyvern, Gentle Gemdragon and Elder Dragon, and Kadregrin the Infernal draws a card for each Mighty unit when it arrives. Until the first Mighty unit lands, though, the Legend does nothing, so Volibear might fall behind on points while it builds toward its top end.

Draven leans on Chaos, using Vex, Apathetic, Tideturner and Rebuke to set up fights the deck can take, and Spinning Axe adds three Might as a Reaction, which can swing a combat, and the Legend draws a card if its player wins that combat. Every draw from its Legend depends on winning a combat, though, and most of its units have two to four Might while Draven, Showboat's own Might bonus only grows with its player's points, so one bigger blocker or a removal spell can stall the card flow before it adds up to much.

Jax's Legend can exhaust to attach an Equipment to a unit, paying one Energy as well when that Equipment is detached, so Brutalizer and Guardian Angel can follow whichever unit needs the extra Might. Defy and Discipline give the deck cheap Reaction plays alongside them. Each of those Equipment adds only 1 Might, though, and both of the Legend's abilities share its exhaust cost, so Jax might struggle to build a body big enough to take a fight without extra pump spells.

Irelia's Legend can exhaust and pay one Power to ready a friendly unit its player chooses, so Discipline on a Stellacorn Herder that has already moved draws a card and lets the Legend ready the Herder to move again for another draw. Ride the Wind and Tideturner add more movement around that engine. Each ready still costs Power, the Legend only readies itself again after a conquer and one more Energy, and most of the units are small, so Irelia might need several pump spells like Defiant Dance to take a single fight.

Shen's lists share a Calm core of Defy and Discipline, with Charm in most of them, and the Legend can exhaust to give a friendly unit Tank this turn, so that unit must be assigned combat damage before units without Tank. Kinkou Temple gives units with Tank +1 Might, so that choice can swing a close fight there. The Legend never draws a card, readies a rune or scores a point, though, and its bigger units change from list to list, so the deck can answer threats but seems to lack a consistent plan of its own for turning those answers into points.

Lucian's Legend gives each Equipment Assault, so a unit holding Long Sword or Doran's Blade attacks for three more Might, and Lucian, Merciless can pick up an Equipment as it enters and ready itself after its first conquer each turn. Relentless Pursuit can also move a unit and attach an Equipment to it in one play. Each Equipment still costs a card and Energy before it adds any Might, though, and the Assault only counts while attacking, so the deck might not have enough left over to hold a battlefield once it is pushed onto defense.

Ziggs's Legend pays one Energy and one Power to put a Bomb on a battlefield, and Ziggs, Explosive makes more. Detonate and Shimmering Swimmer both let Ziggs kill its own Bomb, which deals 2 to an enemy there and sets off its other Bombs at that battlefield, and Detonate also draws two. Void Gate adds one damage to each blast there. Every Bomb only hits units at its own battlefield, though, and the damage doesn't conquer anything, so Ziggs might spend its turns clearing units while its small bodies still have to score.

Zed's Legend empowers whenever its player banishes one of their own cards, then trades that charge for a discard and a draw. Zed, Without a Sound plays a Shadow Clone on a conquer, and the Clone can banish a unit from the trash when it attacks for Assault 4, recharging the Legend, while Runeblade Anvil banishes the top card of the deck on entering and leaving. That line needs a conquer and a unit in the trash first, and the Legend's own payoff only swaps one card for another, so Zed might spend Energy and cards on setup before it gets ahead.

K'Sante's Legend pays one Energy and exhausts to give a friendly unit Assault equal to its Shield this turn, which turns defensive bodies into attackers. A unit with Shield 3 that wears Nazuman Ntofo has Shield 5, so with the Legend's ability it attacks for 5 more Might, and if Ntofo Strikes then adds Shield 2, that bonus rises to 7 and the spell deals 7 to an enemy unit. Each use exhausts the Legend, though, and every Shield body in these lists has 4 printed Might or less, so K'Sante might struggle to pressure a battlefield as well as it defends one.

Sivir's Legend can exhaust to play an exhausted Gold gear token whenever its player recycles a rune, and it readies itself when one or more enemy units die. A second Gold in the same turn needs the Legend to ready first, and an enemy death is one way to ready it. Each Gold token enters exhausted, so it can only add Power once it readies, and the Legend never deals damage, draws cards or scores points itself, so most of what Sivir's Legend offers on its own seems to be Power that arrives later.