Ekko Sivir – Reviving the Fan Favorite PnZ Champion!

Fewer Predicts and fewer Zileans - this is how Ekko rolls in Patch 2.18.
  • Origin

Hello everyone, Mezume here! During the last few days, we’ve been covering the archetypes of the post-patch meta as our Decks of the Day. Today is no different, as I am here in an attempt to revive Ekko – in a revisited concept of Ekko Sivir.

This archetype has existed ever since the release of Ekko back in the Rise of Underworlds expansion, but never made it to an actual Meta Tier List and – spoiler alert – I am a little sceptical about that this time around as well.

Ekko naturally pairs up with Zilean due to the Predict synergy, but that version is likely way too slow for the current meta. Due to that fact, Sivir replaces Zilean and the deck goes a bit faster with a slightly lower and less reactive curve.

The reason for this revisit attempt is that Ekko has been buffed to require fewer Predicts for his level up, meaning he can come down on the board as a more acceptable 3 health unit a bit earlier. This can make a big difference, because the list heavily relies on dropping him down and generating the value with 0-mana Time Tricks followed by Chronobreaks.

  • Gameplan

Ekko Sivir is a midrange deck that relies on having a board that can be repeatedly revived with Chronobreaks to win the game. The deck has a few other alternative win conditions that I will touch on later on and is quite flexible due to being based around the Predict mechanic – allowing strong players to adapt their gameplan on the fly.

This deck sports a rather low curve, as its goal is to play units and develop its own board while simultaneously leveling both of the champions – Ekko through Predict and Sivir through unit combat. Cards like Fallen Feline and Treasure Seeker are especially powerful on turn 1, providing a body that can be used to chump block or even push some chip damage.

As the deck approaches midgame, Xenotype Researchers bring immense strength to the deck, allowing for crazy high roll potential – topdecking an 8/6 Sivir on turn 4 can win the game on the spot in some matchups. Other cards you want buffed include Ekko and Thrumming Swarm, but really any card is good when you slap an extra +3/+3 on its stats.

Because your deck runs multiple Predicts, it is also quite easy to find the buffed unit quickly to gain an advantage before stats become less relevant. While during deckbuilding, the main win condition in my mind was to level Ekko, this powerful midrange curve is what won me the most games.

Sivir levels surprisingly fast in this deck – between Waking Sands, Xenotype-buffed units and herself, there is quite a lot of damage. This makes her a great win condition – she is always an insanely powerful standalone unit. This list has a copy of The Absolver to make her even more of a threat.

Finally, the very top-end of the deck is the 1-of Thrumming Swarm. It is a never-ending threat that has Overwhelm, so the opponent needs to respond to it somehow – but it will keep coming back every single turn once you have leveled a champion. The only strong answer to it is Aloof Travelers, which thankfully got nerfed in the most recent patch.

To put the gameplan in fewer words: curve out, level your champions and use them to finish off the game. If that doesn’t work, turn towards Thrumming Swarm. What is especially good about Predict-based decks is that they can dedicate fewer deck slots to their win conditions – as they are more likely to find them thanks to Predicting.

  • Verdict

Ekko Sivir is not a deck on any tier list. Even though the patch is still fresh, and Ekko has just received a buff, this likely will not change. This does not stop it from being strong enough to be played, however, and as a fun off-meta pick that utilizes an otherwise fairly underused champion it works perfectly fine.

It is able to stave off early aggression due to its early curve, and as every Sivir Rally deck, it is capable of outmaneuvering control – especially with Chronobreak reviving units that died this turn. Sure, in ‘perfect draw’ situations coming from both sides, it might be lacking some power, but it is also consistent enough to make up for this shortcoming.

Overall, I can recommend this deck to anyone who wants to try out Ekko – he does feel stronger now that he only needs 4 Predicts to level and I also believe that in the current meta, Sivir is a much better partner for him than Zilean.

Mezume
Mezume

Mezume is a competitive Legends of Runeterra player with an unexplained love for midrange decks. He believes the important thing is not the end result of the game, but the choices made within it. Loves learning more about the game and sharing that knowledge with others!

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