It's been some time since we've played some Constructed in Runeterra on stream, so I figured it would be good to dive back and play some of the newer decks that have been making the rounds since we last give it a whirl.
We seem to have picked a good time too. Since new champions have just been released into the wild, people will probably be experimenting with new decks and brews.
For now though, let's return with a new take on an old favorite: Ezreal, courtesy of Mobalytics.
When it comes to card games, I tend to latch heavily onto Constructed formats, where players can build decks out of a specific pool of cards designated by the format in question. It suits my style better, allowing me to take the time to do research on what the most popular decks are and either netdeck or use them as inspiration to create my own recipes. It brings me a certain joy to analyze the trends and see how decks new and old fair as cards are brought in or removed from legal play.
But any card game player knows that Constructed formats are only one way to engage, the other being Limited formats. Rather than come into a game with a deck build ahead of time, Limited formats require players to improvise and built decks based on what they pick from a random or semi-random selection of cards. Drafting is one of the most common variants, opening a pack, picking one card from it, and passing it to the next player in rotation so that they can make their own pick.
So instead of coming at you with another set of decks to try, this time I thought it might be fun to check out Legends of Runeterra's equivalent of a booster draft, called Expeditions. Let's build our own deck and see how well it holds up.
Eventually, after so long without streaming any card games, the itch eventually needs to be scratched, at least for someone like me. And there's no better time than now to return to the world of Runeterra, which the latest update providing new cards, champions, and strategies to experiment with.
On top of that, there appears to be a new event on offer with regards to a pop stars in the League of Legends lore that I have absolutely no familiarity with whatsoever. I've sure someone will explain it to me at some point.
As always, the deck lists I play with come courtesy of Mobalytics. The decklist import codes are:
Welcome back to the lands of Runeterra, where it's time to conduct another experiment in The Lab. This one is unique, in that it is an entirely single player experience. Two of our newest champions, Leona and Diana, are looking to reach the peak of Targon to face Aurelion Sol. Along the way, they'll each face obstacles and enemies barring their path.
Let us help these champions complete their journey.
It's been almost a month since we've been to the world of Runeterra, and last time we were in the Lab experimenting with ASM... ARAM. This time, we have another new mode to tinker with in the Lab, this time called Quick Draw.
Let us test our luck and skill at improvising with the fleeting hand and limited mana at our disposal. Can we rise above our opponents with quick thinking and finesse, or will they be the ones standing when the dust settles?
Recently, League of Legends implemented a new feature called "The Lab", where it will introduce experimental modes of play that are unique from the others.
For our first round in the Lab, we play a classic mode from League of Legends: ASMR... I mean ARAM, short for "All Random All Mid". Four random champions are selected, and after a mulligan the deck is built based on those champions.
Which means that there's no need for us to build anything for it. Let's just dive in and see what happens.
Core Set 2021 is just coming out, and the meta for MTG Arena is going to be in flux because of it. So while we give things time to settle, let us return to Runeterra to see play a few matches with some new decks/strategies.
This time, we'll be aiming to play the long game, with tactics intended to stall out and out value aggressive decks over time.
As always, thanks to MobaLytics for sourcing all of these excellent deck ideas.
While I suspect that these protests will still be ongoing by the time this goes live on my blog and YouTube, I want to reiterate that this footage was recorded, and this post was written during the protests against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police office Derek Chauvin.
This is not an isolated incident, and such occurrences are well-known and feared by the American-American community, and other minority communities across both the US and the world.
As small a platform as I have, it is nonetheless a platform. To that end, I want to share some resources that might help you join in supporting our brothers and sisters struggling in the fight for justice. Do note that this list is far from comprehensive, but a good way to get started.
Once you've finished doing your part to show solidarity with those protesting a violate, fascist police state, we can proceed to lead a nation of pirates and sea monsters to victory against fascist police states by giving them the ol' Bilgewater Welcome.
Both of the decks we're playing today are heavily focused around using the new cards from Bilgewater, with support from the Shadow Isles and Freljord respectively, to entirely different yet effective ends.
As always, I take the deck ideas that I use in this show from Mobalytics. The decklists are as follows:
It's been some time, so let us take a short reprieve from Magic the Gathering: Arena to delve back into Legends of Runeterra. Since we last entered Summoner's Rift, a new nation, and a brand new set of cards, has made its way into the game and people have been playing around with them to great effect.
So of course, we have two new decks that make use of these mechanics in different ways. Sit back, relax, and join we for a few rounds.
As always, the deck lists I use are taken from MobaLytics.
Another Runeterra stream, and another two fun decks to experiment with. And as a master of the long game, I'm naturally inclined towards those lovely control decks.
Ezreal has become one of the most well-known control finishers, so it was only a matter of time we'd try one of his variants. All we have to do is hit enough of our opponent's units with our effects to transform him, which will allow us to just play our hand out to end the match.
But there's another new contender on the block in the form of Corina Veraza, who can absolutely decimate an opponent if the game goes late with a powerful board clear ability. If that doesn't just end the game, it'll open up the way for us to close it with some of our other effects.
Thanks to MobaLytics for providing a handy list of cool decks for me and everyone else to try out, like the ones seen in this video.
We're still on the Legends of Runeterra bandwagon, and I don't see us stopping anytime soon. This game has really caught my attention, and it's still amazing what Riot has managed to do with the Collectible Card Game genre.
And of course, we wouldn't be on brand if I didn't eventually try to run some form of control deck.
As a reminder, I get all the decks I run from MobaLytics.
While it's been nearly a month since the last time I talked about Legends of Runeterra, I've still been playing it regularly. And as my interest in Magic the Gathering: Arena's current standard declines, it's begun to take up the slack as my new "primary" digital card game.
That doesn't mean Magic: Arena gameplay is going to stop, but it does mean that it'll be slowing down for a time, until something shakes up the current meta.
With that said, I'm head over heels for Runeterra. It's such a breath of fresh air.
The decks I play with are taking from the meta tier list at MobaLytics.
If you're interested in running them yourself, the codes to import them are below:
As someone with next to no interest in League of Legends, and someone who has been following newsregardingRiot over the past few years, I was originally going to pass on Legends of Runeterra.
But as people I knew started playing it, and talking positively about it as a game, beyond being a good League of Legends tie-in, I grew intrigued. Now that I've tried the game myself, I've been having such a good time that I wanted to talk about it.
