LoR Meta Report – Patch 3.11 Week 2

Hello friends, Sorry here! It’s been 2 weeks since Patch 3.11 dropped, and the meta has settled down compared to last week.

This time around, we have more data to work with in the Master rank than last week! So we’ll have a better understanding of what’s working and what isn’t!

The new champions have had an impact on the meta, but it seems that Bard continues to prove his dominance as a board presence champion in the game.

Let’s take a look at how the meta has developed since the last Meta Report!

Sources: The 236k matches of data from July 26 to August 1 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

• Illaoi Bard gains insane popularity on the ranked ladder, and the win rate backs it up as one of the best decks in the meta. Its evergreen match-up table is perfect for a ladder climb deck. It’s currently the most played deck on the ranked ladder.
• Kai’Sa Demacia continues its rampage on the ladder. The archetype has gone through different changes to its list in the past 2 weeks, and players still can’t decide which version is the best. Sivir Kai’Sa DE has the highest win rate compared to Mono Kai’Sa and Akshan Kai’Sa but Mono Kai’Sa seems to be the community’s favorite in terms of play rate. Although Illaoi Bard is the most played deck in the meta, that’s not entirely true if you combine the play rates of all different Kai’Sa variants, landing them in the first place.
• Irelia Azir‘s play rate and win rate has dropped since last week but remain one of the top 5 decks in the meta.
• The rise of Shen Bard! The new Bard archetype has been performing well on the ranked ladder, holding a 54% win rate.
• Annie Twisted Fate continues its healthy existence in the meta. However, a new version has been gaining popularity that opts to cut Annie entirely for Katarina. The reason behind that is Annie’s weakness against challenger units and Tentacle Smash.
• Lux Illaoi seems to be performing well on the ranked ladder. Its play rate has dropped a bit, but it still keeps a 53% win rate.
• Lissandra Taliyah has fallen off, dropping significantly in play rate and is no longer one of the top-tier decks in the meta. However, the deck has a high win rate in Master at 58.2%.
• Although Yasuo Katarina had some hype on the first week of patch 3.11, the archetype’s play rate and win rate kept dropping reaching a 49% win rate in Platinum+ ranks.
• Lulu (BC PZ) had potential on the first week of the new meta but it seems Illaoi Bard and Kai’Sa DE were too much to handle. The deck’s win rate has fallen down to 49% in Platinum+.
• Ashe Leblanc, Annie Gwen, and Zilean Xerath (BC) all have a below 50% win rate on the ranked ladder.
• Nami Twisted Fate SI is seeing more success in Master than lower ranks. The archetype holds a 55.7% win rate in Master rank.
• Looks like Elise Gwen (NX) is the best performing Gwen version but still has only 49.5% win rate in Platinum+.
• Bard Jinx is performing well, 52.6% win rate but not as popular and powerful as other Bard decks like Bard Illaoi and Bard Shen.
• Heimerdinger Jayce SI and Annie Jhin continue to be present in the meta and hold positive win rates.
• Aphelios Viktor holds a 52% win rate but has lost its popularity compared to its last season’s domination of the meta.
• All different Evelynn decks are still underperforming, and with the dominance of Kai’Sa on the ranked ladder, there is simply no room for Evelynn to shine.
• Draven Sion has a low play rate in all ranks but its win rate is above 54%.

Most Successful Archetypes

Tier 1 (Kai’Sa Demacia, Illaoi Bard, Annie Twisted Fate, Azir Irelia, Shen Bard) It’s evident from the play rate and win rate that both Illaoi Bard and Kai’Sa Demacia are on another level when compared to other top decks.

Tier 2 (Gwen Elise NX, Annie Jhin, Lissandra Taliyah, Yasuo Katarina, Heimerdinger Jayce SI) Different types of archetypes are present in Tier 2 showing healthy versatility. Heimerdinger Jayce SI and Thralls were knocked down to Tier 2.

Meme Tier (Zilean PZ and Evelynn decks) Mono Zilean is not performing well enough to become a competitive deck. Although the fun aspect is present and the archetype has its fans, Kai’Sa Demacia and Illaoi Bard will stomp on them before they can set up their game plan.

Balance Watch Kai’Sa Demacia and Illaoi Bard. Both archetypes are extremely strong, Kai’Sa’s ability to get a spell shield from Supercharge or Second Skin makes her difficult to deal with, and even when dealt with, the second Kai’Sa that hits the board will have all those keywords again.
On the other hand, Bard and Chimes are the main reason Illaoi Bard is as powerful as it is right now. Most Bard decks are performing well on the ladder and Illaoi takes advantage of additional stats from Chimes with the help of the Overwhelm keyword.

Underplayed and Overplayed Archetypes

In the chart below, I’ve plotted win rates versus play rates of 23 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: Kai’Sa Demacia and Illaoi Bard. Both archetypes are dominating the scene. Their powerful kit can run over almost all other decks making them kings of the meta.

Overplayed: Akshan Kai’Sa. Looking at the numbers, Akshan Kai’Sa is still a popular version on the ranked ladder, but both Mono Kai’Sa and Sivir Kai’Sa have a higher play rate and win rate. Eventually, Akshan Kai’Sa should lose its popularity to the other versions.

Underplayed: Caitlyn Trundle Timelines has a 53% win rate but a low play rate. The archetype is a solid choice for the ranked ladder.

Hidden Gems: Gwen Vi. The deck takes advantage of the Hallowed keyword to deal Nexus damage with Daring Poros and has a burn plan to close out the game. Vi is great to remove pesky units, and once leveled, the 5 damage she deals can be crucial to ending the game.

Closing Words

Although we have a variety of different archetypes that are performing well on the ranked ladder, the meta is heavily dictated by both Illaoi Bard and Kai’Sa Demacia and the higher you climb, the more you’ll match against those two decks.

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