LoR Meta Report – Patch 3.17 Week 1 – Best Ladder Decks – Vayne Decks Everywhere!

It’s been almost a week since the Darkin Saga: Domination expansion has been out, bringing three new champions (Varus, Vayne, and Seraphine) into the game.

The new cards have impacted the meta, introducing new archetypes to the game and even bringing back old decks with more consistency thanks to the new cards that fit the archetypes.

Since it’s still early in the season, we don’t have a lot of stats on the Master rank. This means Master stats today might be inflated due to the low number of players.

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

Sources: The 330k matches of data from October 12 to October 17 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

• Gwen Vayne is currently the most-played deck on the ranked ladder. Although the archetype was hitting hard on the first day of the expansion, its win rate has started dropping down. It is now sitting at a 51.4% win rate in Platinum+.

• Rumble Vayne Demacia has had an update to its list. The Rumble Demacia now runs a lot of the new cards, like Vayne, Rune Squire, and Legionary Charge. It’s the second most played deck and holds a 53.9% win rate.

• Vayne replaces Fiora in Pantheon Demacia and becomes the third-most-played deck! Vayne Pantheon performs better than the Fiora version as it holds a 54.7% win rate whereas the Fiora version holds a 53.4% win rate. Keep in mind that Pantheon Vayne has a 4.39% play rate in Platinum+, as for the Fiora version, it has gone down to 1.29%.

• Zed Demacia makes a comeback! Vayne enables the Master of Shadows with her Tumble. Putting more pressure on the opponent and threatening to level up Zed. The deck also adopts an Elusive win condition with the Greenglade Duo, allowing you to set up a lethal attack if your opponent doesn’t have an answer.
• Zed Vayne has been one of the best Vayne versions out there! The deck has a 55% win rate in Platinum+ and is in the top 5 most played decks.

• Even after the nerf to Decimate, Annie Jhin has gained popularity early on in the new season. It’s quite normal to see aggressive decks gain a lot of popularity at the early stages of a big patch release. The aggressive archetypes try to prey on new decks that have not yet adapted to the meta and are still in the experimental phase.
• Annie Jhin has a 54.8% win rate in Platinum+ and is in the top 5 most played decks.

Seraphine has found success in different archetypes! Noxus, Ionia, and Shadow Isles versions have all been holding up well on the ranked ladder.

Ezreal Seraphine and Viktor Seraphine (SI) are the best performers. Both archetypes have a 54%+ win rate. Whereas Viktor Seraphine (IO) is at a 52.4% win rate.

Additionally, Ezreal Seraphine has been gaining insane popularity, especially in the Master rank. The deck has a 14.3% play rate in Master! Obviously, the Master stats are inflated right now, and this number will drop down in the next couple of days, but it showcases the community’s favorite version of Seraphine at the moment.

• Akshan Varus is the most popular Varus deck out there. The Pantheon version follows closely behind and remarkably holds a higher win rate. The Akshan version is currently in the top 10 most-played decks and has a 51.2% win rate in Platinum+. As for the Pantheon version, the archetype has a 52.87% win rate.

• It was expected that Akshan Lee Sin would claim Nami Lee Sin’s spot as the best deck in the game after Nami’s nerf. However, the archetype has dropped in both win rate and play rate. It currently has a 1.47% play rate and a 51.9% win rate.
• Keep in mind that we’re still early in the season, and players might simply prefer playing new decks. It is important to note that during one of my tournament runs last weekend, there were a lot of players running Akshan Lee Sin in their lineup.

• Katarina Gwen falls off after the meta shift. The archetype has dropped in play rate, and it’s currently holding a 51.9% win rate.

• Vayne Kai’Sa and Vayne Ornn have not found the success the other Vayne decks have found. Both decks have around a 49% win rate.

• Twisted Fate Swain remains the most popular Swain version out there. The archetype is still performing well in the new meta, holding a 54.5% win rate in Platinum+. The deck has dropped in win rate but still remains in the top 10 most-played decks.

• Yasuo Katarina is still above a 50% win rate. It has proven to be a solid anti-meta deck in the previous season, even being in the seasonal winner’s lineup. The stun mechanic is powerful against the Vayne decks out there, and with a Yasuo on the board, you’ll keep the board in check until you’re able to dominate the board presence.

Astonishingly, Pirate Aggro has a 55% win rate in Platinum+. The aggressive deck is preying on the new archetypes that are still in the experimental phase, closing out the game before they can set up the game plan.

The nerf to both Decimate and Riptide Sermon forced players to tweak the list, cutting both cards and adding Double Up as a late-game burn tool.

• Nami Lee Sin has fallen out of the meta after the recent nerf to Nami. The deck has around a 45% win rate.

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Closing Words

The meta is currently all over the place, and we have yet to see all the new creations players are coming up with. It goes without a doubt that Vayne is the MVP out of the new three champions. Vayne has been able to create new archetypes and solidifies old ones with the help of the Tumble card she generates.

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