LoR Meta Report – Patch 3.16 Week 1 – Best Ladder Decks – Nami Meta

Hello everyone, it’s been almost a week since Patch 3.16 went live, and a lot of things have changed after the batch of changes the patch held.

Both Miss Fortune Twisted Fate and Ezreal Kennen fell off after they were hit with a couple of nerfs. Different Swain decks are now roaming on the competitive ladder, and Nami Lee Sin continues its domination.

We already have an idea of the best-performing decks as we approach the seasonal tournament. Let’s take a look at how decks are holding up in the first week of Patch 3.16.

You can find most of the deck codes on our Meta Tier List.

Sources: The 179k matches of data from September 28 to October 3 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.

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Most Popular Archetypes

• Swain Twisted Fate is the most played deck in the first week of Patch 3.16. The play rate is a whopping 13% in Platinum+. As for the deck’s win rate, it holds a 54.4% win rate in Platinum+ and a 56.7% win rate in Master rank.
• The meta has shifted to adapt to Swain Twisted Fate, many Shadow Isles are making a comeback in an attempt to counter the deck.

• It’s not a surprise that Nami Lee Sin has the highest win rate. The archetype continues its domination on the ranked ladder, managing to keep a 58.3% win rate in Platinum+ and a 60.3% win rate in Master rank.

• Fiora Pantheon has gained insane popularity relatively quickly and has positioned itself as one of the top 3 most played decks on the ranked ladder. The archetype currently boasts a 57.4% win rate in Platinum+ and a 58.4% in Master rank.
• The deck performs well against Shadow Isles decks and Swain decks making it the perfect choice for a serious ladder climb.

• Leona Aurelion Sol is struggling to stay above a 50% win rate in platinum+. The Daybreak deck still has its fans, but it’s barely keeping up against the popular meta decks even after the buffs the archetype received.
• The archetype loses to both Swain Twisted Fate and Nami Lee Sin, the top two decks on the ranked ladder.

• The buff to Master Yi turned him into the perfect addition to the Karma Go Hard deck that used to run either Thresh or Kindred. The control deck is the fifth most played deck. However, its win rate has dropped below 50% in Platinum+ and Master rank.
• Even though the archetype isn’t performing well on the ranked ladder, it has proven to be a solid choice in a tournament lineup.

• Poppy Taric DE remains a popular choice, especially after the increase of Shadow Isles decks. The archetype did drop in win rate due to the different Swain decks that perform well against it, but with players now trying to counter Swain decks, Poppy Taric can prey on the majority of those decks. The deck has a 52.8% win rate in Platinum+ and a 54.9% win rate in Master rank.

• Elise Nocturne (NX) is the only aggressive deck in the top 20 most played decks. After the nerf to Decimate and Riptide Sermon, Miss Fortune Twisted Fate’s play rate and win rate plummeted.
• Unfortunately, Elise Nocturne (NX) is failing to keep the aggressive play style alive. The deck holds a 49% win rate in Platinum+ and barely a 50% win rate in Master rank.

• Both Heimerdinger Norra and Veigar Norra are performing well as Tier 2 decks. They’re currently hovering around a 52% win rate. The Shadow Isles decks beat down on the popular Swain Twisted Fate, which gives them an edge on the ranked ladder.

• Akshan Lee Sin remains a Tier 1 deck, holding a 55.6% win rate in Platinum+ and a 56.6% win rate in Master rank. The archetype has a low play rate due to Nami Lee Sin being the better version. However, Akshan Lee Sin is the perfect archetype for a tournament line-up if you wish to still bring Nami but paired with Twisted Fate instead of Lee Sin.

• Gangplank Sejuani has dropped significantly in play rate and win rate. The archetype was relying on Riptide Sermon as one of its strongest plays and the nerf weakened the deck. Swain Twisted Fate’s popularity also made it more difficult for Gangplank Sejuani to compete in the meta, slowly causing it to lose popularity.

• Although Swain Norra has the lowest play rate compared to the PnZ and Bilgewater versions. It has started dominating the scene with its better matchup table and beating the other Swain versions. The archetype is hovering around a 55% win rate in all ranks and will most likely catch up to the Bilgewater version in terms of play rate in the near future.

• Trundle Timelines is still holding an above 50% win rate even after the nerf to Concurrent Timelines. The archetype has a favorable matchup against Swain Twisted Fate, which is probably the reason the deck is still performing decently.

Akshan Pantheon is astonishingly putting up good numbers! The archetype has a win rate of 54.2% in Platinum+ and a win rate of 55.9% in Master rank.

Akshan Pantheon is a solid choice to beat popular decks like Swain Twisted Fate and Karma Master Yi.

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Closing Words

The meta has lost its aggressive play style and has now shifted to mid-range, control, and combo decks battling out. The nerf to Decimate and Riptide Sermon kicked the last remaining aggressive deck out of the meta.

Outside of Nami dominating the scene, we do see a lot of different archetypes performing well on the ranked ladder. Many old champions are making a comeback, like Fiora, Karma, and Swain.

This is it for this week’s Meta Report, I’ll see you in the next one!