Deck builders can be some of the most complicated games out there and Legends of Runeterra is no different. In addition to reinventing the card game formula with unique concepts and mechanics, it has a dedicated fanbase that is constantly tweaking the meta builds.
That being said, there are some champions that have either been staples for powerful builds for a while or are seeing a lot of use in winning decks lately. The best champion is the one that suits the player’s ideal strategy and synergizes with another strong champion, but strong consideration should be given to some that are often used by the pros.
10 Maokai
Maokai is a slumbering giant that can win quickly if the enemy isn’t paying attention or can muster a counter. Whenever another ally plays two cards will get Tossed and a Sapling will be summoned. This seems like a rough tradeoff unless the player is running a Deep strategy which results in certain units becoming stronger when there are less than 15 cards in the player’s deck, like Nautilus.
If enough of the player’s units have died or 25 cards have been Tossed, Maokai levels and can obliterate the opponent’s deck leaving them with only four non-champions. Complicating things for the enemy further is that Maokai will now summon a Sapling every time a Round starts. The reason he doesn’t rank higher is players are starting to become aware of his methods, but clever players are having a lot of fun with him right now.
9 Miss Fortune
Miss Fortune was stronger a while back, but due to game updates and meta counters has fallen from grace. She’s still a strong champion for aggressive decks often pairing with champions like Gangplank and Sejuani. She used to be an absolute beast when partnered with Quinn and while this has shown signs of weakness it’s still a strong strategy.
What makes her useful in aggressive decks is her ability to level up every four attacks the player performs. She also deals damage to enemies and the enemy Nexus whenever an ally attacks ensuring she whittles down the opponent and grows stronger as the player goes on the offensive.
8 Elise
Elise is solely an early game fighter, but with the right deck and quick maneuvering she becomes a nightmare to oppose. The trick with Elise is to hit the enemy hard and keep them busy while the real winning strategy is being implemented in the background, in this role Elise can’t be beat.
The key to her power is by quickly getting Spiders on the battlefield. Elise herself can summon a Spiderling to the field every time she attacks. When there are more than three Spiders in play at the start of a round she levels up. This results in a strong fighter surrounded by Spiderlings who can keep the enemy occupied while the coup de grace is being implemented.
7 Aurelion Sol
Aurelian Sol is a late-game powerhouse. It does take a bit of work getting him setup, but once in position and properly leveled it’s absolutely worth it. Aurelion Sol benefits from partners like Trundle and Diana to get him ready.
His ability is to Invoke a Celestial card that costs 7 or more and put a random celestial card in the player’s hand at the start of the round. Where this gets really handy is when he’s leveled and Celestial cards cost zero. Granted ensuring allies have a total power of 20+ to level him up can be tricky, but once accomplished a win isn’t too far away.
6 Ashe
Ashe is weak at first thanks to low health, but once leveled and buffed, it's hard to stop her. Her strength lies in the ability to Frostbite the strongest enemy on the board, dropping their attack to zero. Amazingly she levels up by using Frostbite five times, meaning players will be on the offensive with her.
Once leveled her Frostbite will cause the afflicted enemy to be unable to block. This allows her to singlehandedly ignore beastly units that would soak damage even without their attack power. Combine her with Sejuani, buy her enough time to upgrade, and she’ll take down the mightiest of decks.
5 Sejuani
Of course while Ashe is strong, her partner Sejuani is a monster. She can Frostbite an enemy and cause them to become Vulnerable, allowing the player to disrupt the enemy’s best laid plans. Once leveled, she has the incredible ability to Frostbite all enemies whenever the Nexus is directly damaged.
Granted, damaging the Nexus five times to level her up can be tricky unless the player has some sneaky Spells. But if accomplished she can obliterate an opponent’s attack power, put them in the line of fire, and nullify the opposing side’s attack power as the Nexus comes crumbling down.
4 Twisted Fate
Twisted Fate is a tricky jack-of-all-trades that pairs well with just about any deck. His best pairings seem to be Gangplank and Swain at the moment. His main ability is to summon a Blue, Red, or Gold Destiny card in that order each time he goes.
Blue cards will refill one spell mana and allow the player to draw again, Red deals one damage to all enemies and the enemy Nexus, and then Gold deals two damage and Stuns the strongest enemy. Once the player draws eight cards he levels and can now play a Destiny Card whenever the player uses a card up to three times per round.
3 Kalista
Kalista is an early game juggernaut that can have the chance to win on her own before things even reach the late game. With Fearsome she’s block able only by units with three power or more allowing her to act with impunity against all others.
Whenever four allies die, a common occurrence in aggressive decks, she levels and gains the ability to Bond with an ally. This causes the bonded ally to gain +2 to attack and will revive the ally whenever she performs an attack. When bonded with a strong fighter she can bring them back over and over again to keep fighting.
2 Swain
When it comes to taking down the Nexus, the champion Swain is an expert. His Nexus Strike deals three damage to the Nexus and can only be blocked by units of three power or more thanks to Fearsome. If the player can take out problematic units quickly enough then Swain is free to chip away at the Nexus.
In fact, once he’s dealt 12 non-combat damage he’ll level up and gain some terrifying abilities. Now whenever he damages the Nexus he’ll also Stun the strongest enemy on the backrow. His Nexus Strike will also deal three damage to all enemies. Put him in battle with champions like Sejuani or Twisted Fate and he’s a nightmare.
1 Gangplank
Gangplank gets along great with Twisted Fate and Sejuani and is one of the most dangerous Champions in the game. His ability Overwhelm causes excess damage to strike the enemy Nexus. If the Nexus is damage in five rounds he levels up and becomes beastly.
Now he can summon a Powder Keg every time a round starts which causes all spells and skill damage to stack with each one on the board. He also comes with an attack that deals one damage to all enemies and the enemy Nexus.