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The World Ender expansion came to Legends of Runeterra, and with it came heaps of new cards to play around with, including three new champions. Among these champions is the Aspect of Justice herself, Kayle, and you guessed it: since she’s an Aspect, her region-allegiance lies with Targon.

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This article focuses on how Kayle works and how you can effectively build a deck around her, so stick around if you want to pick her up. She has a lot of value to offer, being the mid to late-game powerhouse she is, as she can kill your opponent in a single turn, especially once leveled up. So, let’s get right into it.

Kayle: Champion Overview

Legends of Runeterra base kayle card

Kayle costs six mana to play and is a two-attack, six-health unit with an Empowered 6 bonus that grants Quick Attack, and her evolution condition is “Round Start: I have 11+ power.” The mana cost-to-stats ratio here isn’t great; it’s actually quite bad (an average ratio would land her with six attack instead of two). But, since she buffs herself out of play, it makes sense that her base attack power is as low as it is with all that scaling potential.

Kayle passively gains one attack every time an ally attacks with increased power, so this capacity to scale in power increases her initial value. Make no mistake, if you’re running a deck that synergizes with her, then by the time you get around to turn six, she should have plenty more than two attack, making her mana cost-to-stats ratio much more agreeable.

While she buffs allied units with one attack when she’s played, she does not buff herself.

Evolved Kayle

Legends of Runeterra kayle evolved card

When evolved, Kayle becomes a three-attack, seven-health unit that has Quick Attack, Overwhelm, and an Empowered 16 bonus that grants her Double Attack. Even though her base attack is three once she’s all leveled up, the version of her that is in play should have at least 11 attack once she levels up (since that is her evolution condition).

Double Attack causes a unit to strike twice: both before and at the same time as its blocker.

This is when Kayle becomes a game-ending threat. If she’s allowed to get to 16 attack to activate her Empowered bonus, then her Double Attack, coupled with her Overwhelm, will hit the enemy Nexus incredibly hard.

Champion Spell

Legend of Runeterra kayle's divine judgment card

Kayle’s champion spell is Kayle’s Divine Judgement. This is a six mana burst spell that gives an allied unit “I can’t take damage or die” for the rest of the round. It also gives allied units plus one attack for the round.

This is a burst-spell, so your opponent has no time to respond to it. As such, you’re going to want to use this reactively. There’s nothing better than causing your opponent to waste a big chunk of mana on a high-costing removal spell like Vengeance or The Ruination.

Deckbuilding Options

Legends of Runeterra split image of pantheon, vayne, viego, gwen, and udyr cards

When it comes to deckbuilding around Kayle you can be pretty flexible, though you’ll typically want her in decks that put an emphasis on buffing up your units. Seeing that she is a strong win condition in her own right, it’s also recommended that you pair her up with a region that excels at defending its units with defensive spells. This is a double whammy because most of those defensive spells will also buff an ally’s attack power, which in turn, buffs Kayle.

Including cards with Scout and/or Rally is also very helpful since the additional attacks can buff Kayle up even more.

Alternatively, you could pair her up with champions that present an equal or near-equal threat as her. That way, your defense essentially becomes a hyper-offense, so while your opponent is busy using their removal on one champion, the other is good to go for that game-winning swing. Whichever path you choose, make sure to include spells or units or Equipment that buff your units’ attack power, for otherwise, Kayle will not make it much further than her base two attack.

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Kayle And Pantheon

Legends of Runeterra Pantheon rank one card

Kayle and Pantheon are both from Targon, so you’re free to choose which region to stick with them, but Demacia seems to be the best choice due to the number of free attacks its cards can generate through the likes of Cataclysm or general Scout and Rally effects. In the case of Demacia, the deck ends up being very mid-range with the capacity to sustain through the late game.

That said, the Fated buff on Pantheon and his supportive cards is invaluable when it comes to buffing Kayle up, as you can reliably buff up your units without even needing cards that directly buff their attack power since the Fated keyword will do that itself. It’s a match made in heaven (literally) and running Pantheon and his Fated squad will surely get your Kayle’s attack to reach new heights.

Kayle And Vayne

Legends of Runeterra Vayne card

Vayne pairs well with any champion that has a strong attack effect, and Kayle is no exception to this, as the two of them together make a very imposing tempo-mid-range deck. The extra attacks from Vayne’s Tumble (when used on buffed units) will not only buff up Kayle’s attack, but make her a much greater threat when she’s leveled up. After all, what’s scarier than a 16-attack unit with Double Attack and Overwhelm? One that can attack again for free.

As such, the game plan with this deck sees Vayne as an enabler of Kayle, and even if you can’t get her Tumble on her, using it on other buffed-up units will still buff Kayle, so it’s a win-win.

Kayle And Viego Or Kayle And Gwen

Legends of Runeterra split image of viego and gwen cards

Pairing Kayle up with Viego or Gwen both ends up merging Targon with Shadow Isles, but the two decks are slightly different. Firstly, Viego is more geared toward the late-game while Gwen is more geared toward a mid-range, possible aggro deck. Second, when it comes to Viego, you’ll want more Shadow Isle cards that cater to buffing him and his Encroaching Mists up, while with Gwen, you’ll want more Shadow Isle cards that stack your Hallowed buff.

Either way, both of these options are quite strong as they not only generate big threats separate from Kayle, but they buff Kayle up nicely due to how much they buff their own attack power.

Kayle And Udyr

Legends of Runeterra Udyr rank one card

This pair-up is a bit of a dark horse, but it can become absurdly powerful if you draw right. Freljord has a nice chunk of cards that buff units in your hand and deck, most notably Omen Hawk, Mihira, Aspect of Justice, and Revna, The Lorekeeper. With these, practically every unit that attacks will be buffed-up and, and that will consequently buff up Kayle in the process. That’s not even to mention Udyr’s capacity to buff himself too, so sticking Kayle in a deck with a mid-range style Freljord deck is a no-brainer.

General Playstyle

Legends of Runeterra Kayle evolved splash art

Kayle is strongest in mid-range decks, but can sometimes contest late-game control decks under the right conditions. Aggro decks are out of the question for her, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up steam quickly with a mid-range deck and win before turn ten. On top of this, if she’s in your deck, she will usually be either the only, or one of two win conditions, so it’s crucial that you don’t play her unless you can properly defend her from your opponent’s removal.

Bearing in mind Kayle’s champion spell, you don’t even necessarily need loads of defensive spells in your deck, as having Divine Judgement in your hand alone can keep her alive long enough to one-turn-kill your opponent. Even if she’s stunned, that won’t stop her from swinging if you provide her with a free attack through something like Cataclysm or Vayne’s Tumble.

Just remember that your opponent is likely saving their hard removal cards for her, so wait to play her until you see those removal spells come out or until you have a way to answer them, and you’re golden.

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