6 Off-Meta Decks in Top 32 Seasonal World Ender

The World Ender Seasonal Tournament took place this past weekend. The top players from each server competed for first place and a spot in the World Championship tournament.

This was our last seasonal tournament as Riot Games is preparing to launch a new tournament format in the upcoming season.

Our winners for the World Ender Seasonal Tournament are:

APAC Shard: Nezykk

EMEA Shard: Ultraman1996

AM Shard: FloppyMudkip

Alright, let’s take a look at a couple of off-meta decks that were brought to the top 32.

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Riven Viktor

Żółw Lamparci from the EMEA server brought Riven Viktor along with Leona Aphelios and Swain Norra. The lineup does well against aggressive matchups like Gwen Katarina and Lulu Jinx.

Riven Viktor relies on both champions to set up powerful attacks. You can buff up the power of your champions and give them the Overwhelm keyword with weapon shards.

The deck can set up one decisive turn capable of putting the Nexus at low enough health for your burn damage from Get Excited! and Mystic Shot to end the game.

Survival Skills is crucial to protecting your win condition, and it can be a shutdown for midrange decks.

Finally, Ruined Reckoner offers an additional attack with one of your units. If played on a big Overwhelm champion like Riven or Viktor, you can threaten to destroy the opponent’s Nexus.

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Kennen Ahri

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Kennen Ahri in competitive play. The archetype lost popularity after a couple of cards were nerfed, like Kennen’s Mark of the Storm and Ionian Tellstones.

TDN Carlinhos from America server included the deck in their lineup along with Leona Aphelios and Gwen Katarina.

Kennen Ahri wants to keep the opponent’s board in check with Kennen’s Mark of the Storm while it sneaks in elusive damage and works on leveling Ahri.

The deck runs a lot of defensive tools to prolong the game and keep key units alive. With Ahri’s elusive keyword, she can strike the opponent’s Nexus multiple times, potentially ending the game.

The list also includes Spirit Unleashed, which will buff your units and make your elusive attacks more dangerous.

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Malphite Taliyah

It has become a custom that Malphite Taliyah always shows up for big tournaments. Markus000 makes it to the top 32 and pilots Taliyah Malphite, Xerath Azir, and Varus Pantheon up to the semi-finals.

The landmark-oriented deck works on leveling up both champions by summoning landmarks on the boards. Taliyah and Malphite put an immediate threat on the board; they’re able to slam the Nexus for a lot of damage.

A leveled-up Malphite can stun the opponent’s whole board with Unstoppable Force, paving the way for your units to start hitting the Nexus.

The list runs one The Absolver, keeping your opponent on the lookout for an Overwhelm play on one of your champions.

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Maokai Nautilus

Deep is here! The good old toss deck showed up in America’s top 32. The deck was brought by ToF HisokaMorow along with Leona Asol Zoe and Kayn Aatrox.

Deep is a solid choice for battling Aatrox and Plunder while also putting up a good fight against aggressive decks.

Nautilus Maokai runs a lot of toss cards in order to hit deep once 15 cards are left in the deck. From there, you’ll try to set up Nautilus on the board, which will reduce the mana cost of all your Sea Monsters.

Each of your Sea Monsters serves a purpose to advance your game plan. Eventually, they will allow you to dominate the board.

The list also runs an Atrocity, which is a powerful tool to close out the game. Nautilus’ 13 power will force your opponent to try and keep their Nexus’ health above that number.

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Norra Sejuani

We’re used to Sejuani being paired with Gangplank; however, TGC Atlas decided to combine the powers of Norra and Sejuani in one deck.

Norra Sejuani is a swarm deck that wants to chip away at the opponent’s Nexus. You run a lot of Nexus pings like Pokey Stick, Drop the Bomb, and Tusk Speaker to help you level up Sejuani.

The deck also runs Spirited Unleashed, an important card that buffs up the stats of your units, putting a lot more pressure on the opponent.

In the late game, Sejuani can start freezing the opponent’s board. Additionally, with a Terrordactyl on the board, you’ll slowly ping down their Nexus and freeze the board immediately.

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Master Yi Karma

4LW is well known for his Karma Go Hard deck, and when it came to the top 32, he delivered! His lineup consisted of Master Yi Karma, Gwen Sejuani, and Leona Aphelios.

Master Yi Karma is a control deck that wants to slow down the pace of the game and keep the board in check until you hit turn 10.

An early Master Yi on the board can do wonders! He’ll become a threat once he’s gained enough power, and at the same time, he’ll reduce the cost of the spells in your hand.

A leveled-up Karma means all your spells will trigger twice. This can be insane value, especially if you have a Go Hard in your hand, making it much easier to set up a Pack Your Bags.

One Deep Meditation with leveled-up Karma on the board can be enough to refill your hand and provide more options for future plays.

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Bonus Deck: Varus Pantheon

Varus Pantheon was one of the most popular choices among players in the top 32. The deck fell out of favor after it received a couple of nerfs, and we rarely saw it on the ranked ladder.

However, players figured out that the deck can be a solid choice in a tournament format against Aatrox and Shadow Isles decks.

Varus Pantheon attempts to level up Pantheon as quickly as possible in order to generate random keywords on him. Those keywords can turn your champion into a win condition, allowing you to start slamming down the opponent’s Nexus with the Overwhelm keyword.

Varus, like Pantheon, can threaten to deal a lot of overwhelm damage, forcing your opponent to commit resources to stop Varus or risk having their Nexus destroyed.

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Closing Words

It’s always a risk to bring an off-meta deck to a tournament, but the surprise factor can give you an edge against your opponent.