LoR Meta Report – Patch 3.11.0 Week 1

Today we’ll be looking at the data a week after the release of Patch 3.11.0 Far From Beyond expansion. The first week of an expansion is usually hectic, it’s the experimental phase where players will be taking new creations to the ranked ladder and carefully monitoring their performance against top established meta decks.

Kai’Sa, Evelyn, and Gwen have brought some new archetypes into the mix and even updated older lists with their support package. So far, it’s evident that Kai’Sa is the best performing champion out of the three, mainly due to her strong package, with Supercharge and Void Abomination being difficult plays to deal with.

Before I start, it’s important to note that since it’s the first week of the new patch, a lot of the stats in Master rank are inflated due to the low number of players.

Sources: The 179k matches of data from July 20 to July 25 are from LoR Meta. The data is based on Platinum, Diamond, and Master rank matches. I also used Runeterra.AR for more Master rank stats on low play rate decks.

Most Popular Archetypes

• Kai’Sa has found a home in the Demacia region. We have three different Demaica versions, either running Kai’Sa on her own or paired with either Akshan or Sivir. All three decks are performing well on the competitive ladder and have a high play rate. However, it seems Sivir Kai’Sa currently performing better than the other two versions and is slowly climbing up in play rate to match its competitors.
• Annie Twisted Fate solidifies its spot as one of the best meta decks out there. It sits at a 56.8% win rate in Platinum+ and although it lost its first place in play rate to Azir Irelia, the archetype is still one of the top 5 decks out there.
• Azir Irelia had a surge in stats even though nothing was buffed in the archetype. Azir Irelia’s play rate and win rate were slowly dropping down until Patch 3.11 hit. It could be attributed to players exploiting the experimental phase and depending on an already established archetype to climb. Additionally, Azir Irelia did have an additional unit in its arsenal. Domination mimics the role of Azir, increasing the power of your attacking Sand Soldiers and Blades, which imposes earlier aggression.
• Katarina Yasuo shows up in the top 3 played decks in Platinum+. The deck received a new card, Windswept Hillock, which aims to increase the strength of the archetype. Early in week 1, Katarina Yasuo had a high win rate, reaching 56%, but as its play rate increased and players got accustomed to playing against it, its win rate dropped to 51% in Platinum+.
• Lissandra Taliyah (Thralls) dropped significantly in play rate, but its win rate remained high at 55.4% in Platinum+.
• Although Evelyn Kai’Sa has a decent play rate, its win rate was pretty low. 42.3% in Platinum+ and 38.06% in Master. The archetype is difficult to pilot compared to Kai’Sa Demacia which might be a reason for the low win rate.
• Annie Jhin remains a top-tier deck even with its play rate dropping. Its win rate is still high in both Platinum+ and Master ranks.
• Elise Gwen (NX) is the newest version of Elise Fearsome deck. It takes advantage of the new Hallowed units. The archetype seems to be performing alright in Platinum and Diamond with a 52.8% win rate, but falls short in Master rank, only hitting a 46.95% win rate.
• Illaoi Bard’s play rate dropped significantly but remains one of the best performing decks in Platinum, Diamond, and Master.
• Viktor Kai’Sa’s play rate and win rate dropped, now holding a 47.7% win rate in Platinum+.
• Lulu (BC PZ) gained popularity with the addition of Sneezy Biggledust! in Patch 3.11. It currently sits at a 52.6% win rate in Platinum+.
• Shen Kai’Sa is underperforming in Platinum, Diamond, and Master. The new archetype barely holds a 47% win rate.
• Aphelios Viktor dropped insanely in play rate! The patch 3.10 tier 1 deck saw little play but kept holding on to a positive win rate in Platinum and Diamond. A 69.2% win rate in Master but its amazingly high win rate can be due to the low number of Master players.
• Bard Jarvan IV Poppy has dropped in play rate, falling out of the top 25 decks! The archetype still maintains a 55% win rate in Platinum+ rank.

Most Successful Archetypes

• Tier 1 (Kai’Sa Demacia variants, Annie Twisted, Azir Irelia, Illaoi Bard, Heimerdinger Jayce, Lissandra Taliyah) The top tier decks show a healthy versatility. Tier 1 lacks the new champions Gwen and Evelyn that still could not find archetypes strong enough to be considered tier 1.
• Tier 2 (Yasuo Katarina, Elise Gwen (NX), Lulu (BC PZ), Ashe Leblanc, Aphelios Viktor, Lucian Evelyn) Evelyn decks all have one thing in common, a low win rate. As for Gwen, she seems to be performing the best in an aggressive style deck. Lulu (BC PZ) rose from its grave but has cut both Fizz and Yordles in Arms for the list.
• Meme Tier Mono Zilean. The archetype is fun to play with a unique play style, but in terms of consistency and win rate, it just does not suffice for a ranked ladder climb.
• Balance Watch Supercharge and Void Abomination seem to be the two most problematic cards right now. Specifically, Supercharge, the card has started finding its way into other archetypes outside of Kai’Sa like Nasus decks.

Underplayed and Overplayed Archetypes

In the chart below I’ve plotted win rates versus play rates of 22 decks to demonstrate which archetypes can be seen as the ‘kings’ in the current meta, and which decks can be labeled as ‘overplayed’ or ‘underplayed’.

The Y-Axis represents the win rate whereas the X-Axis represents the play rate.

Meta Kings: Illaoi Bard, Heimerdinger Jayce, Lissandra Taliyah, Annie Twisted Fate, Sivir Kai’Sa, and Irelia Azir. Lots of Meta Kings so far! Obviously, we’re still early into the new patch and we’ll most likely see a drop in win rate for some of those archetypes.

Overplayed: Yasuo Katarina. It’s probably the hype for Yasuo that has led to an increase in play rate, but the archetype’s win rate continues to drop as players get used to Yasuo’s play style.

Underplayed: Illaoi Bard and Lulu (PC PZ) are both performing well so far, but their play rates are significantly lower compared to Azir Irelia and Annie TF. I expect Bard Illaoi’s play rate to increase over time.

Hidden Gems: Caitlyn Ezreal. Although we don’t see the deck enough on the ranked ladder, it is performing well and has a 55% win rate. I climbed with the deck up to Diamond and did well against the most popular meta decks.

Closing Words

We’re still in the experimental phase and I expect the rise of new archetypes in the upcoming weeks. Evelyn seems to be the worst performing champion out of all three, and it could be due to the difficulty of piloting the champion’s archetypes and the randomness associated with Husks.

Hope you found this week’s meta report useful, I’ll see you next week!