Pantheon Demacia Deck Guide

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Pantheon has found the most success when paired with the Demacia region. There are currently different versions of it that co-exist in the meta – Yuumi Pantheon, Taric Pantheon, and Mono Pantheon.

With Yuumi’s addition to the Legends of Runeterra’s roster, the champion found a place immediately into Pantheon decks, adding another new version of the archetype.

In this article, I’ll be covering all three builds, listing the game plan and decklists for all versions separately. However, note that the tips and matchups sections are, however, consolidated into one – those are meant to be applicable no matter the exact build of Pantheon Demacia you choose. I will though add important remarks for a specific version against a specific region.

Without further ado, here’s your guide to one of the strongest midrange archetypes in the meta!

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Let’s start off by talking about Taric Pantheon! The archetype existed as Poppy Taric in the past, but after the Magic Misadventures expansions added Pantheon to the champion roster, players quickly included him in the deck along with a couple of new cards.

Early game you’ll be looking to play your cheap units like Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, or Wounded Whiteflame.

On each turn, you’ll be trying to target one of your units with cards like Gems (created by Mountain Goat), Chain Vest, Pale Cascade, or Sharpsight. Your goal is to progress the level-up condition of Pantheon while also buffing up units with the Fated keyword.

Taric acts as a support champion early on, allowing you to maximize the effect of a buff spell played. For example, Zenith Blade played on Taric can set up for a solid swing with both Taric and the supported unit gaining the Overwhelm keyword. Additionally, Taric can act as a win condition in himself, as his level 2 can be incredibly problematic for your opponent.

But what makes Taric truly shine is his interaction with Rally cards.

Relentless Pursuit or Golden Aegis on Taric will trigger a second Rally effect once you start an attack with Taric supporting another unit. The additional attack puts immense pressure on your opponent, especially if they don’t have enough chump blockers. If one of your Fated units has the Overwhelm keyword, those chump blockers won’t even matter much.

In some scenarios, you might find yourself playing our Pantheon before level-up. The Barrier allows for a defensive play to shut down your opponent’s attack plans, and playing Pantheon early on also allows you to work on activating the Fated keyword and increasing his stats.

Once leveled, Pantheon turns into the main win condition, demanding an immediate answer from your opponent.

Techs and Options

• Bastion: a protection tool to keep your win condition unit alive. It’s a heavy mana commitment for a midrange deck that might not find a use in some matchups. You can cut Guiding Touch for Bastion but I wouldn’t advise running more than one.

• Hush: a situational card that can be useful in the mirror matchup to shut down Wounded Whiteflame or Pantheon. You can cut a Guiding Touch for it.

• Screeching Dragon: Challenger 5 mana unit, allows you to kill pesky units on the board that help progress your opponent’s game plan. You can cut 2 Guiding Touch from the deck for Screeching Dragons.

• Blinded Mystic: Provides a buff on one of your units along with a Fated + Pantheon level-up trigger, but its ability to Silence followers might not find any use in some matchups. Do not run more than 2 in the deck. You can cut Guiding Touch.

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Mono Pantheon omits Taric completely to enable a higher-tempo game plan. Instead of working towards setting up Taric on the board, you’ll just focus on targeting one of your units once per turn for a speedy Pantheon progression.

Usually, here you’ll find yourself leveling up your Pantheon faster than in the Taric version – by turn 7 or 8 you’ll already have a leveled-up Pantheon ready to dominate the board.

Both versions of the deck have a similar play pattern early on in the game, developing your Fated units, Saga Seeker and Wounded Whiteflame, and working on increasing their stats through the game. Zenith Blade makes use of those high-statted units and turns them into win conditions.

With Taric out of the deck, Pantheon is your main win condition, the multiple keywords he’ll gain will make it difficult for your opponent to kill him.

The main difference between the two builds is that Mono Pantheon prefers Cataclysm over Golden Aegis, which acts as a removal tool, usually played to target your opponent’s key units. Cataclysm can at the same time act as your finisher – if played on one of your Overwhelm units, especially Pantheon.

At the time of writing this article, Mono Pantheon is performing better than Taric Pantheon on the competitive ladder. It is likely that going the Cataclysm route – which offers an additional removal tool along with a cheaper method to push Overwhelm damage – is allowing the deck to close out games faster than the Taric version, especially against unfavored matchups that will shut you down in the late game.

Techs and Options

• Hush: Situational card to shut down a specific combo or counter play. You usually don’t want to run more than 2 in Mono Pantheon as your main focus throughout the game is to level Pantheon and push the Overwhelm damage as early as possible. You can cut one Chain Vest for a Hush.

• Sunblessed Vigor: It’s important to keep your Overwhelm units alive, Sunblessed Vigor makes sure those units stay on the board for longer while also triggering the Fated keyword and advancing the level-up conditon of Pantheon. However, note that Sunblessed Vigor is at its best as a reactive tool, but you might find yourself in some scenarios playing it proactively for less value, just to advance Patheon’s level up.

• Confront: You’re usually looking to buff up your Fated units in Mono Pantheon, but Confront allows you to give Challenger to one of your units which enables you to kill units that advance your opponent’s game plan. Don’t run more than 2 Confront. You can cut a Guiding Touch and Bastion for it.

• Shield of Durand: A huge health buff to keep units alive, not entirely needed for your Fated units, but can come in handy to keep Pantheon alive early on in the game. Not more than two copies of it in the deck, can cut a Bastion.

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Yuumi Pantheon is the latest version of the Targon Demacia archetype and is the best-performing one in the current meta. The addition of the new champ fits perfectly in the deck, it was featured on Yuumi’s reveal video after all.

Gameplay-wise, Yuumi Pantheon resembles the Mono Pantheon version, which relies on Cataclysm as a win condition to slam the Nexus with the Overwhelm damage.

Early game you’ll focus on buffing up your Fated units and working on leveling up Pantheon. The neat thing about Yuumi is that she triggers the Fated keyword when she attaches to a unit. At the same time, the stats she grants to the unit will remain even after a silence card is played.

After attacking with a unit three times, Yuumi’s level-up will give the unit she’s attached to a Spell Shield – keep in mind that Cataclysm counts as an attack turn for Yuumi’s level-up condition.

Sharpsight, Pale Cascade, and Guiding Touch allow you to keep your units alive and at the same time advance Pantheon’s level-up condition.

Pantheon or a big buffed-up Fated unit with Overwhelm from Zenith Blade can act as your win condition, the Overwhelm damage dealt with Cataclysm can be the nail on your opponent’s coffin.

Techs and Options

• Chain Vest: keeps your unit alive early on in the game with tough keyword and triggers Fated keyword while advancing Pantheon’s level-up condition. One copy of Chain Vest can be added instead of a Guiding Touch.

• Sparklefly: Yuumi can attack to Sparklyfly and turn it into an Elusive win condition. The Lifesteal keyword assist against aggressive matchup, but setting up the play will require a lot of mana commitment that puts you behind early on. Can cut Blinded Mystic or 1 Cataclysm for 2 Sparklefly.

• Golden Aegis: Rally effect to set up for a solid attack. probably not more than 2 copies in the list because Yuumi Pantheon doesn’t go wide on the board – you’ll be focusing on 1 or 2 units as a win condition.

• Judgement: it can be ran in all 3 lists, but only as a one-of! It’s an expensive tool to wipe-out the opponent’s board.

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General Tips

• Any Fated unit can become a win condition.

Over time, Saga Seeker and Wounded Whiteflame can become your primary win conditions if you’re able to keep them alive. The high stats along with the Overwhelm keyword from Zenith Blade will put those stats to use when you go for an attack.

• Work on progressing your Pantheon’s level-up condition.

Play a buff spell each turn when possible, Gems and Chain Vest are two cheap buff spells that grant permanent value – you can proactively sneak one of them on your units, preferably a Fated unit. The earlier you can get a Pantheon online the faster you close the game. Don’t forget that Pantheon gets a keyword for each round you’ve targeted allies, so he can get more than 5 keywords if you play him later on in the game.

• Leverage the power of Cataclysm.

Cataclysm – especially in Mono Pantheon – is a win condition for the deck. Targeting one of your high-statted units with Overwhelm keyword and challenging a low health unit allows you to push a ton of damage to the opponent’s Nexus, possibly closing out the game on the spot.

• Yuumi is a support champion that enables your Fated units.

It’s tempting to just save Yuumi for Pantheon, but presenting more than one win condition on the board is the ideal game plan. Yuumi on Saga Seeker or Wounded Whiteflame allows you to continue with your Overwhelm win condition even if one of your buffed-up units is killed.

• Take advantage of Taric’s ability.

If you’re running a Taric version, make sure the champion earns his keep alongside Pantheon! Being able to cast a spell twice allows for neat interactions. Pale Cascade, Zenith Blade, and Golden Aegis are all additional value spells if cast on Taric. Rally on Taric is one win condition to set up, as the additional Rally trigger might be just enough to secure a win.

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Matchups

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Single Combat.

• Your main objective is to deal with Miss Fortune before she levels- up. Single Combat is the optimal removal tool for Miss Fortune. If they still have mana the opponent will likely try to protect her with Rangers Resolve and Sharpsight, so try to have mana banked to back up your Single Combat with a Pale Cascade or Sharpsight.
• Once you buff up your Fated units it will be difficult for your opponent to kill them, so they will shift to the wide board plan and try to aggro you down.
• They can’t interrupt your Cataclysm. It can act as a removal tool or even push Overwhelm damage directly to the Nexus.
• Yuumi could be a bit slow early game, and you don’t want to lose on board as this matchup is board centric and you’ll need to keep up with early aggression. Play Yuumi only when you feel it’s safe to do so or don’t have another unit to play.
• If you play the Taric version, Taric into Golden Aegis can be difficult for your opponent to deal with, especially if you have a Overwhelm unit on the board. In most cases, it will force them to sacrifice units in an attempt to save their Nexus from getting destroyed.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Single Combat. (Taric)

• Demacia Tristana relies on a wide board of units to set up for a Yordles in Arms and Golden Aegis play. It is important that you try and block early units while keeping yours alive.
• When they commit their Yordles in Arms play, Single Combat can be played before YiA effect goes off, making their board less threatening. Brightsteel Protector is also a good play to make sure one of your units stays alive after the block.
• Everything on your board is sacrificable except for the high-stated unit! That one unit can single-handedly win you the game if it has Overwhelm keyword. Your opponent does not run counter cards to Cataclysm, which allows you to close out a game.
• Keep in mind, that opponent runs Pokey Stick, so they could kill their own unit to deny your Cataclysm. Target a unit that has at least 2 health to play around Pokey Stick.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Yuumi, (Taric).

• Killing Twisted Catalyzer as soon as possible is important early on to limit the Darkness buffs. Saga Seeker or Mountain Goat are perfect blockers. Playing a spell like Pale Cascade, Sharpsight, or Chain Vest will keep Saga Seeker alive after blocking Twisted Catalyzer.
• You’ll want to keep pressure early on, make it difficult for them to set up Veigar on the board safely.
• Cataclysm, Concerted Strike, and Single Combat are perfect answers for your opponent’s champions. It’s crucial that you kill Senna before your next upcoming attack turn. If left unanswered your opponent can play a fast speed Ruination spell in the middle of your combat phase.
• Keep in mind that Minimorph can shut down your champions.
• A leveled up Taric will make himself and his supported ally unkillable to any spells your opponent has. Combined with a Rally card will enable you to threaten to close out the game, especially if one of your units has the Overwhelm keyword.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Yuumi.

• Your opponent can swarm the board with units especially if they have Bandle City Mayor, and because of that they could adopt an aggressive game plan early on the game. Killing Bandle City Mayor is important to slow down your opponent’s board development.
• After stabilizing board presence you’ll have to close out the game before they fullfill The Bandle Tree landmark win condition.
• Bandle Tree decks can chomp block forever, that’s where Zenith Blade comes to use! The Overwhelm damage will put your units with Fated keyword to use.
• Minimorph can shut down your Pantheon, but you could possibly gain the Spellshield keyword when he’s leveled.
• Save Guiding Touch as an answer for Ravenous Flock or Scorched Earth on one of your damaged units.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame.

• Early on in the game, you need to focus on preventing your opponent from triggering Plunder with unit damage. You want to slow down their champion level-up and force them to commit spells like Make it Rain or Warning Shot to trigger Plunder.
• You’re in a race to set up a strong board and try to win the game before they have a leveled-up Sejuani. You can try to remove her with Single Combat or Concerted Strike, but keep in mind your attempts will likely be futile if they can easily freeze the whole board.
• Setting up a Taric + Rally combo before Sejuani lands on the board can pave the way for you to close out the game. Your opponent can not interrupt your combo except by killing your Taric.
• With Mono Pantheon the Cataclysms you run could potentially help end the game before a leveled Sejuani is online. Focusing on buffing up one of your Fated units with Overwhelm keyword then setting up the Cataclysm will threaten to close out a game against a deck that lacks any healing in it.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, (Taric).

• You’ll have to close out the game before your opponent gets a bunch of massive Frostguard Thralls on the board.
• Your Fated units are difficult for your opponent to kill with Avalanche and Blighted Ravine. Keep them alive until you get Taric on the board.
• You do not want to allow your opponent to feel like they have the time to play Promising Future on a Frozen Thrall. A Rally card on Taric will be difficult for them to deal with.
• Make sure to wait until they tap below 6 mana before commiting the Rally on Taric. This way you’ll be playing around Three Sisters into Entomb. They can still do the Entomb play if they have a Lissandra on the board and her champion spell Lissandra’s Entomb in hand.
• Even if you’re unable to close out the game before the Thralls are online, your high-statted Fated units can still block and save your Nexus health. Concerted Strike is another way to at least kill one of them.
• A lot of lists have been cutting Draklorn Inquisitor, but keep enough mana to remove him before he advances one of the Frozen Thrall countdown.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Single Combat.

• Board domination game! Try and take value trades, keep your Fated units alive.
• Akshan Sivir can only deal nexus damage through units. They will try to go a bit wide on the board and sneak early damage.
• Save Brightsteel Protector for your defensive turns. The barrier he gives can potentially shut down your opponent’s attack.
• The Absolver is their winning play, make sure to have an answer to it. Cards like Single Combat or Concerted Strike can shut down their attempt. Sivir’s spell shield can be problematic though.
• Try and play reactively – Akshan Sivir also runs Single Combat and Concerted Strike which can be used as an answer to your play.
• A leveled-up Pantheon can single-handedly win you the game. The Barrier along with the keywords he gets will be difficult for your opponent to answer.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Yuumi, Pantheon, (Taric)

• Gnar Trundle has the capability of going wide on the board, pushing damage, and then switch to a burn plan.
• They can’t deal with a large Fated unit with Overwhelm until turn 7, so use that to deal as much damage as you can until then.
• Do not play all your units on the board. On turn 7 they can set up Buried in Ice into It That Stares the following turn to destroy your whole board. Hold on to Pantheon in your hand unless you have 2 copies.
• Bastion can be a counter to Buried in Ice. Ideally, you want to save the unit with the highest stats and has the Overwhelm keyword.
• Your opponent can stop Overwhelm damage by playing Three Sisters into Flash Freeze. You could counter it by preemptively playing Bastion on your unit. This will force them to play a ping spell followed by Three Sisters into Entomb. Basically, more mana commitment.
• The Taric version can put a lot of pressure when you play Golden Aegis. You want to set up the play before turn 7 to play around Buried in Ice.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Yuumi. (Taric)

• This matchup depends on Yuumi early on in the game and Pantheon.
• Ideally, you want to buff up your Fated unit with Yuumi – this is crucial to have more than one threat on the board. (Yuumi + Fated and Pantheon)
• Hush or Blinded Mystic are answers for Fated units but keep in mind that Yuumi’s stats will not be removed! You can grant a silenced unit the Overhwelm keyword after Blinded Mystic silenced it and turn it into a threat again.
• Hush is a good answer for Pantheon. Usually, you want to play it mid-combat.
• Play your removal cards reactively – your opponent can counter your play with the same cards.
• For the Taric version, you should be favored. Golden Aegis is a powerful play into the mirror matchup, and your opponent doesn’t run any counter cards. They will have to kill Taric to prevent the play.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Brightsteel Protector.

• Early game, block the opponent’s units while keeping yours alive. Your opponent has access to a lot of lurkers while you’re limited on the units you can play on the board.
• Watch out for Pyke spell. Try to keep the targeted unit alive through Sharpsight, Guiding Touch, Pale Cascade, or Bastion.
• On your attack turns be ready for Snapjaw Swarm,you want to have a unit on the board ready to block it.
• Pyke has to die! If leveled, he will wipe out your board. Your best answer is to either block him with a high-stats unit, or use Single Combat, Cataclysm, or Concerted Strike. But if possible I would recommend saving Concerted Strike for Rek’Sai.
• Brightsteel Protector is a great play on defensive turns before the opponent attacks – it will force them to sacrifice one of their units into an unfavored attack just to trigger Lurk.
• Use Concerted Strike on their Rek’Sai immediately before she attacks – you don’t want her to level up and give your opponent additional Lurk cards. Similar to Hush, play it immediately once she hits the board, and it will deny the level-up.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame.

• Work on leveling up your Pantheon as soon as possible. Keep your Fated units alive – you want your opponent to commit their removal cards to deal with them.
• Ravenous Flock and Scorched Earth are two cards you need to watch out for – Guiding Touch comes in handy in this matchup.
• Save Concerted Strike for The Leviathan, you do not want your opponent to lock-stun your units with the Swain + The Leviathan combo.
• When committing Taric + Rally combo, your opponent can interrupt it with either a leveled Swain stun or an Arachnoid Sentry.
• Keep in mind that some lists run Aloof Travelers and/or Minimorph.
• If you’re going for the Cataclysm win condition do not target a damaged unit on your opponent’s board, or they could Scorched Earth or Ravenous Flock their own unit to deny your Cataclysm.
• Gnar can be troublesome to deal with, andthey have the tools to level him up easily with Pocket Stick or Poison Dart, and commiting a Single Combat to kill him doesn’t feel great.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Brightsteel Protector.

• You’re against an aggressive deck that wants to push damage early on and switch to a strong burn plan.
• Block as much early damage as you can! Keep in mind, the deck runs Might, which in most cases will be played on Rumble. You can negate some of the damage by playing Sharpsight or Pale Cascade, but it will slow you down.
• Killing Rumble is also a consideration, but your play can be countered with Survival Skills. Once Rumble is played you can set up is to ping down the Spell Shield with a Single Combat and have Hush ready when your opponent plays Might.
• Mystic Shot, Get Excited!, and Decimate are a lot of burn cards at your opponent’s disposal. Save Guiding Touch to keep your Nexus from going down to 0.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Wounded Whiteflame, Mountain Goat.

• Your opponent will focus on prolonging the game until they set up their Lee Sin combo play.
• Work on leveling up your Pantheon, you are not under the pressure of getting aggroed down in this matchup.
• Sharpsight is useful to kill an attacking Zoe. Allowing her to stay on the board for too long can result in a level up.
• Concerted Strike is your best tool to kill Lee Sin – Deny is the answer that they can have.
• Taric + Rally is your best bet to take the win – Deny, Hush or Concussive Palm are all spells that’ll shut down your combo play.

Mulligan for: Saga Seeker, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Brightsteel Protector.

• Keep up with your opponent’s early board! Keeping your Fated units alive with spells like Pale Cascade or Sharpsight is important to slowly take control of the board.
• Save Brightsteel Protector for a defensive turn. Playing the Barrier on a Fated unit will trigger the effect while protecting them and making your opponent’s attack a bit awkward.
• Single Combat is a cheap tool to minimize the incoming damage from attacking units. But depending on the situation you might want to save it to deny a Noxian Fervor.
• Taric + Rally combo is extremely hard for your opponent to deal with, it might end the game before your opponent wins with their burn cards.
• Although Cataclysm is usually best saved as your win condition, in this matchup you might find yourself in spots where you’ll have to play it to remove a unit in order to preserve your health.
• Yuumi is too slow of a play in this match up. You might be forced to play her on the board and use her as a blocker.

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Closing Words

Mono Pantheon’s play rate has fallen off since the release of Yuumi. The Yuumi version has proven to perform better in the current meta and is currently one of the top meta decks.

Yuumi herself acts as a win condition when she buffs up a Fated unit. An extra layer of protection with the additional stats that remain even after silencing the unit means they won’t die easily.

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