Singleton Gauntlet: Event Guide and Decklists

The first-ever Legends of Runeterra Singleton Gauntlet kicks off on Friday and will be available as a game mode until Monday. ‘Singleton’ format means that only decks that use no more than one copy of each card would be allowed to enter.

• The event has no entry fee and no limit on the number of entries. Play as much as you want!
• The structure of a single gauntlet run is similar to an Expedition trial. To win the whole thing you need to accumulate 7 wins with a single deck. Lose two games in a row – and you’re out. There’s one exception to this last rule, however – you have only one attempt to get your final, seventh win.
• Two special player icons are available as exclusive rewards for this event. The first one is just for participation – you will get it immediately upon your first entry. The other is a reward for conquering the gauntlet – you will receive it only if you’ve managed to go all the way.

Reward Icons: Gauntlet Competitor (on the left), Gauntlet Conqueror (on the right)

Additionally, the gauntlet runs reward with XP based on the number of wins you’ve scored:

• 1 win: 50 XP;
• 2 wins: 150 XP;
• 3 wins: 400 XP;
• 4 wins: 500 XP;
• 5 wins: 750 XP;
• 6 wins: 800 XP;
• 7 wins: 1100 XP.

However, you earn less base XP per individual win/loss in this mode compared to Normal and Ranked play (100 per win/50 per loss, as opposed to 200/100). Once again, this XP payouts work exactly the same way they do in Expeditions. Do not worry too much about the numbers though – by design, the hourly rate at which XP is earned across all of LoR game modes is fairly even. So ultimately there’re no ‘efficient’ and ‘non-efficient’ queues in LoR, XP-wise.

Singleton brewing requires some adjustments on deckbuilder’s part as there are a number of unique considerations to take into account.

• The lack of redundancy (i.e. the lack of access to multiple copies of the same effect) hurts aggressive decks the most, especially when one has to work with the limited card pool. Aggro decks rely on good early curves, and singleton decks in Runeterra are currently just not consistent enough to provide those.
• Without powerful decks that ‘go under you’, the metagame is usually all about going just a bit slower than your opponent. The deck that has the inevitability and has more powerful late-game has the advantage. If it also would interact efficiently, it will usually get the upper hand.
• With games on average going longer than in Standard, and in the light of copies restrictions on popular meta answers (ex. Deny), some late-game bombs that have for a long time been pushed out of the ladder meta now have a chance to shine in Singleton. Cards like Warmother’s Call, She Who Wanders and Brightsteel Formation can all make a splash!
• In Singleton, we can still play 6 champions in a deck, but only one copy of each. It means we can’t build a strategy that relies too much on any of them in particular. We’d rather want them to serve as powerful and useful units at all stages of the game. Also, don’t feel obligated to reach the cap on champions. There’s really no reason to force a champion in the deck if he lacks synergy with the main gameplan.

Below are some decklists that you can try out in the event – or use them as inspirations for your own brews!

Purrsuit of Perfection

Deck Code: CEAAABASAECACBAGCAMRUGY4D4QSOKBLFYYTIOB2BIAQEAQEBQICKKJRGY3TSBYCAIAQGBIGBAEQUBICAQAQMCAJBI

Alright, let’s get it out of the way right now – here’s the Purrsuit of Perfection build. It is fairly controlling in nature, and you should get to the 30|30 dream realiably. To add more spice, there’s Counterfeit Copies and Zephyr Sage to add even more Perfection.

Maokai Control

Deck Code: CEAAAAYWAECQCBYLB4KBUHI6EAQSEIZEFAVTAMJSGQ2TMOQGAICQCBAGA4EAUDACAYAQIBIIDIOR4IRHFUXTQ

The idea of this deck is to use Maokai as our win-condition. This champion is probably the only viable build-around in Singleton. The games should go long, and his level-up is both achievable – and unbeatable. Tossing and sacrificing units for the benefit of Maokai are the two main themes of this build. I wouldn’t play him out before he is levelled-up though!

Deep

Deck Code: CEAAAAYYAIDAIBIIBEFREFY2DQOR4IBBEUTCOKJMFUXTCNJYHIFACBIBCIKB2JZIFY2DMNYGAICQGBAFA4EAU

Another twist on BW/SI control, but this time with Sea Monsters’ power as our main wincon.

Enlightened

Deck Code: CEAAABAXAEAQGBAHBEFQYDQSCYLRQGY5EAQSIJZJF4YDCMRUBMAQEAQEC4SSQKJRGU3TQOIEAIBACBIJBIBAEAICA4

Being Enlightened gives you access to Karma’s and Anivia’s level-ups, and we all now how threatening those can be in the late game. Some of Freljord’s ramping and game-stalling tools from Ionia should help you get there. By the way, Deny is not such a threat in Singleton, so your Warmother’s Call will likely – FINALLY – resolve. For the first time since open beta!

Demacia Midrange

Deck Code: CEAAAAY3AEAACBAGA4EQUCYMBYHREFQ2DUQSEJJGE4UCSKZNGIZTINQGAIDAKCAWE45D4BYCAAAQGBQHBAEQU

Demacia traditionally boasts an unprecedented average quality of followers, so it’s possible to build a respectable midrange singleton deck taking only from that region’s card pool. Vanguard Bannerman odds are still there!

Chilly Midrange

Deck Code: CEAAABATAEAQCBAHBEFQ2DQSCYLRWHRGE4US4MBSGQGACAYEBMKBQHI6EERSMLZQGMBQEAYDAQCQMAQBAEBAKBQHBA

Freljord and Noxus form a powerful beatdown duo that also offers some insane late-game potential with The Tuskraider. The themes look like a bit too much all over the place – there’s self-damage, freezing, deck-buffing… But in practice, it all plays quite well and can easily shift gears – go faster against late-game decks or outgrind the evenly-matched midrange ones.

Good luck in the Gauntlet over the weekend! Share with us your own brews at https://twitter.com/runeterraccg.